The 16th Hockey World Cup for men and women will begin in Belgium and the Netherlands from the 15th of this month.
As for the Indian men’s team, it progressed from bronze in its first appearance (1971) to silver in the next (1973), and then became champions in its third appearance, taking home the gold (1975).
However, after that, the Indian men’s team lost its footing and has been struggling for the past 51 years without being able to return to the podium.
In the meantime, although India has been determined and has won medals at the international level in events such as the Olympics, Asian Games, Asia Cup, Champions Trophy, Asian Champions Trophy, Pro League, Hockey World League, and Commonwealth Games, a World Cup medal has remained an elusive dream for India. Let us look at India’s performances in that tournament so far.
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1971 Barcelona (Bronze)
Champion - Pakistan
Silver - Spain
Bronze - India
Although Pakistan was given the opportunity to host the first match, due to war tensions with India, the tournament was moved to Barcelona, Argentina. India, which reached the semifinals with a winning run in the group stage, lost to Pakistan there. It then defeated Kenya in the third-place match.
10 teams 30 matches 67 goals
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1973 Amsterdam (silver)
Champion - Netherlands
Silver - India
Bronze - West Germany
India, which lost to the Netherlands, the host nation, in the final, advanced to the semifinals with 3 wins and 2 draws in the group stage. There, it avenged its loss to Pakistan, reached the final, and then missed out on victory in the penalty shootout.
12 teams 42 matches 124 goals
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1975 Kuala Lumpur (Gold)
Champion - India
Silver - Pakistan
Bronze - West Germany
India made history in this tournament held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. India reached the semifinals with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the group stage, defeated Malaysia there, advanced to the final, and beat Pakistan.
12 teams 42 matches 175 goals
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1978 Buenos Aires (6th place)
Champion - Pakistan (2)
Silver - Netherlands
Bronze - Australia
India’s slump in World Cup history began here. In the tournament held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, India missed out on a semifinal berth and finished with 1 win and 1 loss in the classification matches.
14 teams 51 matches 225 goals
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1982 Mumbai (5th place)
Champion - Pakistan (3)
Silver - West Germany
Bronze - Australia
India, which hosted the World Cup for the first time, failed to make its mark on home soil.
Unable to reach the semifinals, it finished 5th with 2 wins in the classification matches.
12 teams 42 matches 216 goals
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1986 London (12th place)
Champion - Australia
Silver - England
Bronze - West Germany
This was India’s worst chapter in the World Cup. In the tournament held in England, India finished last. It missed out on a semifinal berth and also lost in the classification matches. This was the first World Cup tournament played on artificial turf.
12 teams 42 matches 146 goals
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1990 Lahore (10th place)
Champion - Netherlands (2)
Silver - Pakistan
Bronze - Australia
Despite political tensions over the Kashmir issue, India went to Pakistan to play. Failing to win in the group stage and missing out on a semifinal spot, they finished 10th with one win in the classification match.
12 teams 42 matches 147 goals
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1994 Sydney (5th place)
Champion - Pakistan (4)
Silver - Netherlands
Bronze - Australia
In this tournament held in Australia as well, India did not advance to the semifinals and finished 5th with 2 wins in the classification matches. Since the introduction of artificial turf, this is India’s best finish in a World Cup.
12 teams 42 matches 143 goals
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1998 Utrecht (9th place)
Champion - Netherlands (3)
Silver - Spain
Bronze - Germany
In the tournament hosted by the Netherlands for the second time, India performed poorly in the group stage itself, lost its chance to reach the semifinals, moved to the classification stage, and defeated Poland and New Zealand to finish 9th.
12 teams 42 matches 209 goals
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2002 Kuala Lumpur (10th place)
Champion - Germany
Silver - Australia
Bronze - Netherlands
India, which finished 6th in the group stage of this tournament, where 16 teams participated for the first time, defeated Spain in the classification round and lost to New Zealand to finish in 10th place.
16 teams 72 matches 300 goals
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2006 Mönchengladbach (11th place)
Champion - Germany (2)
Silver - Australia
Bronze - Spain
In this tournament, which again featured only 12 teams, India failed to register even a single win in the group stage and drew with South Africa. After missing out on a semifinal spot, they beat the same team again in the classification round to finish 11th.
12 teams 42 matches 174 goals
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2010 New Delhi (8th place)
Champion - Australia (2)
Silver - Germany
Bronze - Netherlands
Even though India hosted the World Cup on home soil for the second time, they could not shine. They managed just one win in the entire tournament. However, they faced Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup held at home and won.
12 teams 38 matches 199 goals
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2014 The Hague (9th place)
Champion - Australia (3)
Silver - Netherlands
Bronze - Argentina
In this tournament, which the Netherlands hosted for the third time, India missed out on a semifinal spot with 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses in the group stage. It then defeated South Korea in the classification match to finish in 9th place.
12 teams 38 matches 162 goals
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2018 Bhubaneswar (6th place)
Champion - Belgium
Silver - Netherlands
Bronze - Australia
India, which got the opportunity to host the tournament for the third time, defeated South Korea and Canada in the group stage, but drew with Belgium. It then lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and finished 6th.
16 teams 36 matches 157 goals
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2023 Bhubaneswar, Rourkela (9th place)
Champion - Germany (3)
Silver - Belgium
Bronze - Netherlands
India, which hosted the tournament consecutively, defeated Spain and Wales in the group stage. It drew with England. After missing out on a quarterfinal spot, it defeated Japan and South Africa in the classification matches and finished 9th.
16 teams 44 matches 249 goals