‘Consistent India are strong contenders for 2026 FIH World Cup’

new delhi: Belgium defender Arthur Van Doren believes India are strong title contenders in next year’s men’s hockey World Cup, saying it is “impossible to ignore” the Men in Blue for their consistency over the last few years.

India’s performance at major tournaments, including successive Olympic medals, have firmly established them among the elite.

“It’s impossible not to consider them as big contenders,” Van Doren said. “They’ve shown results for a long time now, with two Olympic cycles where they ended up medallists. Ignoring India when talking about the World Cup would not be fair anymore.”

The Belgian stalwart, who has close to 300 international caps, praised the balance in the Indian team.

“They’ve got quality in pretty much every line. They’ve got a good coach, quality experience figures and quality youth,” he said, adding that the team’s overall structure now allows them to compete consistently with the best.

Van Doren noted that India’s resurgence has not happened overnight, but is the result of sustained planning and exposure system.

“What you see now is not a coincidence. They’ve been building for years, and the results are showing.”

However, he also pointed out that the race for the World Cup title is expected to be extremely tight.

“The only problem teams like India, Belgium faces is that there are five or six or seven more teams that are just as confident as we are,” he said.

“That’s the beauty of international hockey at this moment — it’s very close at the top.”

Van Doren also had high praise for Indian players’ technical ability, especially the younger generation coming through the ranks.

“One of the impressive things about Indians is that they are busier with hockey than any country in

the world,” he said.