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, has firmly established it among the elite.
“It’s impossible not to consider them as big contenders,” Van Doren told PTI Videos.
Despite hosting the last two FIH Men’s World Cups at home, India failed to finish on the podium even once.
In the 2018 edition, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals and finished sixth in the standings, while in 2023 they were knocked out by New Zealand in the crossover stage and finished ninth overall.
However, Belgian hockey coach Pascal Kina believes India has a fair chance to finish among the three medallists during the 2026 World Cup which will be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.
“I don’t think there’s one or two teams that you can say will be the champion. But the support of the home crowd could of course help Belgium and the Netherlands,” said Kina, who has been roped in by Kalinga Lancers as their Technical & Strategy Coach for this edition of Hockey India League (HIL).
“However, I’m expecting Australia, India, and Argentina to really perform well in the tournament also.”
Asked what is it that impresses him about the Indian team the most, Kina, who is also the head coach of Belgian hockey club La Gantoise, said, “I see a lot of potential and skill among the Indian players, and physically they have become better. They have a good penalty corner too. And what I can say from analysing them is that they have the potential to win a tournament.”
While Kina is expectedly looking forward to the World Cup, for now, he is hoping for a solid performance from the Lancers, who failed to put up a good show at the last edition of HIL and finished sixth in the standings.
It will be a family affair, too, because his son Antoine is also part of the team since the last edition and it’s something that he is looking forward to.
“He’s as passionate as me about hockey, and I have been coaching him since he was five years old. It’s a habit that has been there for a long time already. So, I don’t even think about it anymore — that he’s my son. He’s just a player who has a lot of experience,” added Kina.
Antoine has been part of the Belgian team that has won the 2018 World Cup and the Olympic gold in Tokyo. And it’s something that has given the game huge impetus in Belgium.
“It inspired a lot of kids and has given them the belief that everything is possible. I’m very busy with the youth in the club, and you can see it in them. You can feel that they all think they can become the next Red Lion,” added Kina, who was also the coach of the Belgian women’s team once.
Their win has also helped the game become financially viable in the country where football remains the No. 1 sports, and with World Cup also coming up next year one can certainly hope that good times await the players.
