Arriving first on Monday was the Malaysian side, who finished 12th in 2023, and have been drawn in Pool E along with England, Austria, and the Netherlands. The Malaysians will begin their campaign against Austria on November 29, and then take on the mighty Netherlands on November 30. Their last group stage game will be against the England side on December 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following them were Egypt, which stood ninth in the 2023 edition of the tournament. Placed in Pool D with Belgium, Spain, and Namibia, the Egyptians are ranked 7th in the world and will commence their campaign against Spain on November 28. Their second game will be against Namibia on the 30th, and their final group stage contest pits them against the Belgians on December 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fellow African counterparts, Namibia, touched down in Madurai after that. The debutants are in Pool D with Belgium, Spain, and Egypt, and will be looking to make a mark in their first appearance in the 2025 edition. Namibia\u2019s campaign begins against Belgium on November 28, followed by a game against Egypt on November 30, with the final group phase contest against Spain on December 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Namibia coach Johann Wyhe said, \u201cThe welcome has been phenomenal \u2014 truly on another level. We deeply appreciate what Hockey India has done for us. Our team has trained very hard, and we\u2019re ready to fight for every moment on the field and see where that takes us.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Up next were England, who are making their first appearance at the FIH Hockey Men\u2019s Junior World Cup since 2016, when they finished eighth. The England team have been placed in Pool E with Austria, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, and will be keen to make their mark, almost a decade since their last appearance at this stage. England begin their tournament against the Netherlands on November 29, play Austria on November 30, and close out their group stage against Malaysia on December 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England coach Jon Bleby said, \u201cThe welcome has been fantastic \u2014 truly amazing. We\u2019re thrilled to be here in India for the World Cup. It\u2019s one of the best places in the world to play hockey, and the passion of the people is incredible. We\u2019re genuinely blown away by the hospitality. Our preparations have gone well. In Great Britain, many of these players recently competed at the Sultan Johor Cup, which was valuable for our build-up. We\u2019ve been training hard, and we\u2019re focused on making a strong start in our first game.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The final team to arrive in Madurai on the day was South Africa, who are placed in Pool A with Canada, Germany, and Ireland. The South African team, who finished 10th in the 2023 edition of the tournament, will open their campaign against defending champions Germany on November 28, and then take on Ireland on the next day, before rounding up their group stage with a match against Canada on December 1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
South Africa coach Guy Elliot said, \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely amazing to be here. We didn\u2019t expect such a loud and warm welcome, and the hospitality so far has been outstanding. We\u2019ve only just arrived, but the energy has already made us even more excited for the tournament. Our preparations have gone well \u2014 we toured China a couple of months ago, and this journey has been two years in the making. Now we hope to show what we\u2019re truly capable of.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The final team to arrive in Madurai on the day was South Africa, who are placed in Pool A with Canada, Germany, and Ireland. The South African team, who finished 10th in the 2023 edition of the tournament, will open their campaign against defending champions Germany on November 28, and then take on Ireland on the next day, before rounding up their group stage with a match against Canada on December 1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking on the team\u2019s arrival, New Zealand coach Mike Delaney said, \"The atmosphere to play hockey in India is awesome. We can't wait to get on pitch. The last time I was here with the hockey team, we knocked out the Indian team at the Men's World Cup, so the atmosphere there was amazing. We are looking forward to playing in India, as the rivalry we share with India is awesome. There's a lot of really fabulous history between both countries, and it's such an honour to be back in India and competing.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n