~ The Indian Men’s Hockey Team is currently placed third on the points table behind England and Belgium ~
New Delhi, 6 June 2025: Placed third on the points table, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team is all set to resume their FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25 (Men) campaign in Europe, where they will take on the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, and Belgium. Led by ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, the team will face hosts and World No.1 Netherlands in Amstelveen on 7 June.
With the Pro League offering a vital pathway to qualify for the FIH Men’s World Cup next year, India will be aiming to collect maximum points and stay in contention for the top spot.
Speaking about their campaign so far and the strategy for upcoming matches, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “Craig has always told us before every match that scoring three or more goals works in our favour, and we should always aim for that. For this, we need at least two Penalty Corners (PCs) per quarter, which we must look to convert. We will be trying to create those PC opportunities and also look to score as many field goals as possible. In this phase of the Pro League, our focus is on field goals, and wherever that’s not possible, we will try to convert PCs to gain that three-plus goal advantage.”
The Netherlands are currently placed fourth on the points table—just one point behind India. Facing the World No.1 side at home will be a tough challenge.
Commenting on the importance of the upcoming fixtures, Chief Coach Craig Fulton said, “We’ve already played some top teams in the Pro League—Spain, Germany, England, and Ireland—and are sitting in third place. Now in Europe, we will face Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Argentina. We have good plans in place for each team and are taking it one game at a time. Our aim is to get maximum points from every single game.”
India have played the Netherlands 20 times in the past, with five wins and seven draws. While the Dutch team holds a statistical edge, their encounters have often been closely contested. In the previous edition of the FIH Pro League, both matches between the two teams ended in draws and went into penalty shootouts—India won the first, while the Netherlands won the second.
India will play the Netherlands on 7 June at 7:30 PM IST and 9 June at 6:00 PM IST at the Wagner Stadium in Amstelveen. The next two matches against Argentina will also be played at the same venue on 11 and 12 June. The team will then travel to Antwerp, Belgium, to face Australia on 14 and 15 June, and will conclude their campaign against hosts Belgium on 21 and 22 June.
