Key Points

The Rajgir edition is set to be historic, being the first major international hockey tournament hosted in Bihar, adding to the growing sporting stature of the state.

Also present on the occasion of the trophy unveiling on Monday evening were Harbinder Singh - three-time Olympic medallist, Ashok Dhyanchand - bronze medallist at the 1972 and the 1975 World Cup winner, Zafar Iqbal - gold medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, as well as officials from the Bihar State Government and Hockey India.

This year’s Asia Cup will also serve as a direct qualifier for the 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. The tournament winner will secure an automatic berth, while the teams finishing second to sixth will proceed to next year’s World Cup qualifiers.

Hosts India arrived in Bihar on Sunday. They had won the bronze medal in the previous edition held in Jakarta, where a young team with 15 debutants showed heart in their campaign by finishing on the podium.

This time, however, with the World Cup qualification at stake, India has brought their best squad to the campaign and will be looking to showcase their A game in Rajgir.

Upon arriving this afternoon, fresh from high-intensity friendly matches against Australia in Perth, Chief Coach Craig Fulton expressed his delight over playing in Bihar for the first time.

“We are very happy to arrive in Bihar for this prestigious tournament. It is great that international hockey is being hosted here, and we want to inspire the people of this region with our game and create more fans for the sport,” Fulton stated.

- IANS