Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026: Schedule, teams and format

Hockey Punjab is the defending champion. | Photo Credit: HOCKEY INDIA

The 16th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2026 will begin in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on October 10, with 29 teams competing across three divisions. The tournament will conclude on October 21, with the Division A final.

Hockey Punjab, the defending champion, will look to retain its title after beating Hockey Madhya Pradesh 4-1 in last year’s Division A final. Uttar Pradesh Hockey finished third in 2025, defeating Manipur Hockey 5-1.

Division A will feature 12 teams divided into four pools of three. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals on October 18, followed by the semifinals on October 19. The third-place match and final are scheduled for October 21.

Division B will feature 10 teams across two pools, while seven teams will compete in Division C, also split into two pools. Matches in both divisions begin on October 10, with Division A fixtures starting on October 14.

The 12-day championship will offer teams across the three divisions a chance to compete for national honours in Jhansi.

Divison breakdown

Division A

Pool A: Hockey Punjab, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Bengal

Pool B: Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Maharashtra, Le Puducherry Hockey

Pool C: Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka, Hockey Chandigarh

Pool D: Manipur Hockey, Hockey Haryana, Delhi Hockey

Division B

Pool A: Hockey Association of Odisha, Assam Hockey, Kerala Hockey, Hockey Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh Hockey

Pool B: Hockey Jharkhand, Telangana Hockey, Goans Hockey, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Hockey Arunachal

Division C

Pool A: Hockey Mizoram, Hockey Himachal, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir

Pool B: Hockey Andhra Pradesh, Hockey Rajasthan, Bihar (BSSA), Hockey Gujarat