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India began their FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Wales in their opening Pool D match at the Wagener Stadium on Saturday. Sanjay and captain Harmanpreet Singh put India in control with two penalty-corner goals in the first quarter. Sanjay opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Harmanpreet doubled the advantage three minutes later. India continued to control proceedings after the break, and Harmanpreet scored his second of the match in the 43rd minute, converting another penalty corner to make it 3-0.

Wales eventually found a way through in the 55th minute, with Sam Welsh scoring after a scramble inside the circle. India’s defence, however, held firm in the closing stages to secure all three points.

The win puts India at the top of Pool D as they look ahead to their next fixture, against England on August 17.

India have been drawn in Pool D along with England, Wales and arch-rivals Pakistan. Having won the 1975 edition by beating Pakistan 2-1 in the final, the World Cup glory has eluded India for the last 50 years.

Having registered a ninth-place finish in the 2023 edition held at Bhubaneswar, India is aiming to bring the gold home, riding on the back of the momentum of two back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, an Asia Cup title win, two Asian Champions Trophy wins and an Asia Cup gold.

Ahead of the opening fixture, Harmanpreet Singh said the side is determined to end the country’s 51-year wait for the FIH Hockey World Cup title, insisting that the team is ready to give its all in the tournament.

Speaking to JioStar, Harmanpreet said the World Cup presents a major opportunity for the team, especially with several senior players in the squad.

“The World Cup means a lot to all of us because after this World Cup, you never know what might happen. There are several senior players in the team as well, so for us, this is a great opportunity,” Harmanpreet said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Just over a month after retiring from tennis, Roberto Bautista Agut has returned to competitive sport – this time on a football pitch.

The 38-year-old former Wimbledon semi-finalist has signed for Spanish seventh-tier side CD Els Ibarsos and scored twice in a 4-2 win on his debut in a pre-season match.

The Spaniard’s tennis career featured 12 singles title wins plus a Davis Cup triumph with his country in 2019.

Achieving success on the football field is now his challenge.

“It’s a new stage of life that’s making me very happy”, Bautista Agut said on Instagram.

“May the good start continue!”

Bautista Agut returns to football after playing for Villarreal’s youth teams until the age of 14, before opting to pursue a career in tennis.

Els Ibarsos, who are based about 60 miles north of Valencia, said Bautista Agut was presented to fans before he made his debut, and the club are looking forward to watching him play for a “whole season”.

“It’s official: Roberto Bautista Agut is a C.D. Els Ibarsos player,” the club wrote on Instagram.

“Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and create a great atmosphere on an unforgettable evening. And thank you, Roberto, for putting your trust in this project and this town.”

During his tennis career, Bautista Agut reached a highest world ranking of ninth in late 2019, boosted by his run to the last four at Wimbledon earlier in the year.

Australian fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood exuded confidence, saying Australia can still go on to win the first Test against Bangladesh despite the Asian side bossing things in Darwin on Saturday. Hazlewood stated that if the team can bat deep on Day 4, they can have the opportunity to take 10 wickets and still win the Test match, which looks far from their grasp as of now. Bangladesh ended the third day still on top of the hosts, who were 161/4 with a trail of 67 still upon them. All-rounder Cameron Green (43) and wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey (19) are in the middle with Beau Webster and Pat Cummins waiting in the wings.

“Once we tick those [runs] off, hopefully we’re still four down, and you can start to build the pressure,” Hazlewood said after the end of Day 3, as quoted by Cricinfo.

He added that the wicket is still showing signs of variable bounce and hoped to take the 10 wickets if the wicket remains up and down.

“I’m not sure how the wicket will play. Obviously we haven’t played much in Test cricket [here]. It was showing a little bit of signs of up and down. If we can bat deep into tomorrow and potentially even the whole day, maybe there are always opportunities to take 10 wickets on the final day if the wicket is a little bit up and down. So [the] win is still definitely in our mind, and always is pretty much. So we’ll look to do whatever we can to move towards that.”

For Australia to scrape through with a win, they would need to overturn their biggest ever trail in a home Test. They were trailing by 228 runs after the visitors made 426 in reply to Australia’s 198. The previous biggest deficit they overcame for a win at home was 206 against Pakistan in 2010 at the SCG. The biggest deficit that they overcame for a win anywhere is the 291-run trail against Sri Lanka in 1992, a Test which they won by 16 runs.

Green holds the key for Australia as he looks to post a strong score to shrug off recent question marks over his position. He could well have been dismissed on 12 if not for an inside edge grazing his leg stump without breaking it.

“You definitely need luck in cricket, that’s for sure,” Hazlewood said on Green’s lucky survival. “I think his intent has been good. He’s looked to score from the outset. I thought even in the first innings, it was probably just summing up the situation more so in that time, just before whatever break it was.

“I think he’s shown good intent from ball one in both innings. [He] looked to score, put the pressure back on the bowler. Yeah, a little bit of luck goes a long way sometimes. So you never know.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was confident that the visitors could keep the target low and register a famous win Down Under. “We are playing on a good wicket, so all we want to do is bowl in the right areas,” he said. “We have to work hard for each wicket. We had to do a lot to get those four wickets today. We are trying to give away as few runs as possible. If we can take at least three or four wickets within these [67] runs, then we won’t have a difficult target coming up.

“We want to give them as few runs as possible. They have a lot of good batters remaining, so getting at least three more wickets is our priority. I don’t want to predict the future, but we must own the first session on day four.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Elsewhere in European football, former midfielder Xavi Hernández was appointed head coach of the Dutch national team. The 46-year-old had been out of management since the end of his spell at Barcelona in 2024.

Day three of the European Aquatics Championships in Paris saw 19-year-old Italian Sara Curtis set a new world record in the 50m backstroke semi-finals. Later in the evening, Romania‘s David Popovici claimed his third consecutive 100m freestyle title, while Sweden‘s Sarah Sjöström won a record-equalling 18th continental gold.

Team France added two silver medals to their tally at the European Athletics Championships on Wednesday, with Muhammad Abdallah Kounta coming second in the 400m final before Just Kwaou-Mathey also finished runner-up in the 110m hurdles.

It has been an excellent Saturday morning for the Irish athletes in Birmingham.

Kate O’Connor achieved a PB in the heptathlon long jump and is now in the gold medal position, PBs came for David Kenny and Oisín Lane in the Men’s Half Marathon Walk, Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan qualified for the Women’s 1500 Final, the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay team set a new National Record and qualified for the Final, and the Men’s 4 x 100m Relay team posted a Season’s Best and also advanced to tonight’s Final.

O’Connor in gold medal position

Kate O’Connor has moved into the gold medal position after Saturday morning’s action in the heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

O’Connor began her morning with a PB of 6.55m in the long jump, and had a best effort of 50.16m in the javelin competition after that.

With one event, the 800m at 7.45pm this evening, remaining, O’Connor leads overall on 5,812, with a 51-point advantage over Emma Oosterwegel of The Netherlands on 5,761, with her compatriot Sofie Dokter in the bronze medal position with 5,741 points.

Healy & O’Sullivan qualify for Women’s 1500m Final

Both Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan qualified for Sunday evening’s final of the women’s 1500m. Both participating in heat two, Healy took third with 4:08.12 and O’Sullivan was fifth in a time of 4:08.88 with the first six advancing to the final. 

Obvious delight for Sophie O’Sullivan in making the 1500m final #rtesport #EuropeanAthletics pic.twitter.com/KCIsDvLdG3

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

Earlier Jodie McCann took to the line for the first heat of the women’s 1500m. Despite being prominent for the first few laps, once the pace increased the Irish woman found herself drifting back, ultimately finishing in 13th place in the heat. Her time of 4:14.63 was well outside her PB of 4:06.81, and did not qualify for the final.

Women’s & Men’s 4 x 100m Relay teams make finals

Ireland’s Women’s 4 x 100m Relay team of Lucy-May Sleeman, Ciara Neville, Sarah Leahy and Lauren Roy set a new National Record in the heats this morning. Running a new Irish record time of 43.13 seconds, the team finished fourth behind Italy, Britain and Portugal.

The first three finishers qualified for the final with the next two fastest teams over the two heats also gaining final berths in the final. With Ireland finishing eighth overall, they gained a place in tonight’s final.

It was a case of ‘having to make the final’ for Bori Akinola, Sean Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde in the 4x100m men’s relay #rtesport #EuropeanAthletics pic.twitter.com/wIOaLUn5xo

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2026

The men’s 4 x 100m Relay team of Bori Akinolo, Seán Aigboboh, Marcus Lawler and Israel Olatunde followed that soon afterward by also booking their place in the final. Running in heat 2, the men ran a season’s best time of 39.13 seconds in finishing fourth behind automatic qualifiers Italy, Germany and Belgium. With the sixth fastest time overall, Ireland booked the final spot for Saturday night.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

The 2026 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup gets underway on Saturday, August 15, with four matches scheduled on the opening day in Belgium and the Netherlands.

India will be among the teams in action on the first day, beginning their campaign against Wales in Pool D. The day will also see Pakistan take on England in another Pool D encounter, while hosts Belgium and defending champions Germany will also open their campaigns.

India begin World Cup campaign against Wales

India will face Wales in their opening Pool D fixture at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

The Indian team, the reigning Olympic bronze medallists, will be looking to make a strong start in a group that also contains arch-rivals Pakistan and England. India’s clash against Pakistan is scheduled for August 19 and is likely to be one of the most anticipated matches of the pool stage.

Pakistan face England in another Pool D clash

Pakistan will begin their campaign against England later on Saturday.

The fixture gives Pakistan an opportunity to make an early statement in a group that promises to be closely contested. The South Asian rivals will meet India four days later in what will be their first World Cup encounter since 2010.

Pakistan remain the most successful team in men’s Hockey World Cup history, having won the tournament four times. India, meanwhile, have lifted the title once, in 1975.

Defending champions Germany also in action

Defending champions Germany will begin their title defence against Malaysia in Pool B.

Germany won the 2023 World Cup in Bhubaneswar, beating Belgium in a dramatic final. Belgium, the 2018 champions, will also start their campaign on Saturday when they take on France.

Q. Where can fans watch the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in India?

A. Fans in India can watch the tournament live on Star Sports, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar. The Indian broadcaster holds the rights for the men’s Hockey World Cup.

Q. Where can fans in Pakistan watch the Hockey World Cup?

A. Viewers in Pakistan can watch the tournament live on Tapmad, which is offering streaming of the 2026 Hockey World Cup.

Q. Can the Hockey World Cup be streamed outside India and Pakistan?

A. Yes. Watch.Hockey, the FIH’s streaming platform, is the international streaming option in many territories, although availability can vary depending on local broadcast rights.

Q. When does the 2026 Hockey World Cup begin?

A. The men’s Hockey World Cup begins on August 15, 2026, with matches being played in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Q. Where will India’s matches be played?

A. India are in Pool D alongside England, Pakistan and Wales. Their pool matches will be played at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

Fully Lit, the runner-up in the 2025 Epsom Handicap, is on a determined path to claim the top prize this year, with his campaign kicking off at Rosehill.

The gelding from Tulloch Lodge was scratched from last Saturday’s Missile Stakes (1200m) to contest the 1400m Racing And Sports Handicap this weekend. Co-trainer Adrian Bott is not expecting a victory upon his return but is keen to see positive signs from Fully Lit in his first race since the spring carnival.

“We held him over from last week. We just felt the 1200 first-up in that grade was going to be a bit sharp for him off the long layoff,” Bott stated. “He’d had a decent build up to that point with three trials, and probably lost a bit of that sharpness, so 1400 should suit him better.

“In saying that, he should still need racing. It wasn’t until deep into his ‘prep’ last time that we saw him hit a bit of form.

“He’s here of a long layoff so he’s going to need a bit of racing to get him up and going again.”

Having won the Inglis Millennium (1100m) at two, Fully Lit spent a full year on the sidelines after his midfield effort in the 2024 Golden Slipper (1200m).

He returned in May last year and required six starts to find his way back to the winner’s circle. He then performed admirably in several competitive races, securing placings in the Cameron Handicap at Newcastle and finishing second to Autumn Glow in the Epsom Handicap.

His performance in the Golden Eagle was significantly impacted by an underlying issue, which became apparent shortly thereafter.

“He had a knee chip out after the Golden Eagle. I’d say that explains that run,” Bott confirmed. “We want to see him back to form over these next three runs or so heading towards an Epsom, and if things are going well, we can head towards that.”

Fully Lit will face a field of 11 rivals at Rosehill, including the 2025 Spring Champion Stakes winner Attica, who is making his first appearance as a gelding.

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More than half a century after India last stood on top of the men’s hockey world, another generation will begin its attempt to end the wait when Harmanpreet Singh’s side faces Wales in its opening FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 match on Saturday.

India’s only World Cup triumph came 51 years ago, when the Ajit Pal Singh-led team defeated Pakistan in the 1975 final in Kuala Lumpur. India had won bronze in 1971 and silver in 1973, but have not returned to the World Cup podium since that golden campaign.

The weight of that history will accompany eighth-ranked India when they begin their Pool D campaign against 15th-ranked Wales on Independence Day.

Coach Craig Fulton, however, wants the current group to create its own legacy.

“We want to write our own piece of history in Indian hockey,” Fulton said ahead of the tournament.

“If you look at India’s legacy of the Olympics, it’s very, very powerful. But we last won a World Cup was 51 years ago. So we want to write our own piece of Indian history. That’s the big goal.”

Can India translate Olympic success to the World Cup?

India’s revival on the Olympic stage has provided reason for optimism.

The men’s team won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, ending India’s 41-year wait for an Olympic hockey medal, and followed it with another bronze at the Paris Games.

The next challenge is to reproduce that consistency at the World Cup.

“We have come here with the same passion, mindset and preparation,” Harmanpreet had said.

“There is no pressure to win a medal in the World Cup; rather, it is our responsibility.”

There is also a historical parallel surrounding the Indian captain.

Ajit Pal lifted the World Cup in his second edition as India’s captain after previously leading the country in 1971. Harmanpreet will also captain India at the World Cup for a second time, having led the side at the 2023 edition.

He becomes only the second Indian after Ajit Pal to captain the country at two World Cups.

Why a win against Wales will be crucial

The opening game against Wales may appear favourable on paper, but India have little room for a slow start.

England, ranked third in the world, and 12th-ranked Pakistan complete Pool D. India face England on August 17 and Pakistan on August 19.

The tournament format further increases the value of each pool-stage match.

There will be no conventional quarterfinal stage at the 2026 World Cup. The top two teams from each of the four first-stage pools will progress to Pools E and F in the second phase, while the other teams move into classification Pools G and H.

The top two teams from Pools E and F will qualify for the semi-finals.

More importantly, teams will carry forward the result and points earned against the other qualifier from their original pool.

That makes points accumulated in the first phase particularly valuable and leaves India with little margin for complacency.

India’s form provides encouragement

India’s preparations have produced several encouraging results despite an eighth-place finish in the nine-team Pro League last season.

Fulton’s team found form during the latter part of the campaign, recording victories against reigning world champions Germany and Olympic champions the Netherlands.

India also defeated Pakistan twice and overcame England in a shootout during the build-up to the World Cup.

The Asia Cup title in Rajgir has further strengthened belief within the squad.

Fulton used 33 players during the 2025-26 Pro League season before settling on a World Cup group combining established internationals with younger players.

“Our strength is our diversity,” Fulton said.

“We have experience at tournament levels, Olympics and World Cups and then we have some youth that has done well at the U-21 level and has come through in the last 18 months to get into the group. We are excited about that mix.”

Manpreet, Harmanpreet form experienced Indian core

Experience remains one of India’s major strengths.

Manpreet Singh, with 417 international appearances, is India’s most-capped player and will also be the most experienced player at the tournament.

Manpreet and Mandeep Singh are set to appear at their fourth World Cup.

Harmanpreet, Hardik Singh, Amit Rohidas, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit and Nilakanta Sharma form the other part of an experienced core accustomed to major international tournaments.

India will again depend heavily on Harmanpreet’s penalty-corner ability, while Rohidas will be expected to add stability in defence.

Manpreet and Hardik will be central to the midfield, with Abhishek and Mandeep among the main attacking options. Mandeep enters the tournament only 12 appearances short of 300 international caps.

Eight Indian players set for first World Cup

That experience is complemented by eight World Cup debutants.

Among the newer players is 23-year-old midfielder Aditya Arjuna Lalage, who has 13 senior international caps.

Defender Yashdeep Siwach’s debut will also carry special significance. His mother, Pritam Siwach, represented India at a World Cup, giving his appearance an unusual family connection with the tournament.

India will also begin a new era between the posts.

With PR Sreejesh having retired after the Paris Olympics, Suraj Karkera and Mohith HS have been entrusted with the goalkeeping responsibilities. Both will be appearing at their first World Cup.

Wales capable of testing India

Wales, meanwhile, will be competing in their second consecutive World Cup and will look to disrupt India’s plans in the opening fixture.

They have prepared for the competition with practice matches against England, Australia and Spain.

While India will start as the higher-ranked team, Wales will have little to lose and could punish any early complacency.

For Harmanpreet’s side, a convincing opening result would not merely secure three points. It would provide momentum ahead of the more demanding Pool D encounters against England and Pakistan and offer an early indication of whether this Indian team can seriously challenge for the country’s first World Cup crown since 1975.

  Hockey world Cup 2026 India vs Wales live match time and IND vs WAL live streaming  When India will play their opening match in Hockey World Cup 2026?  India will play their first match in Hockey World Cup 2026 on August 15 against Wales.  At what time India vs Wales hockey match begins at Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026?  India vs Wales hockey match will begin at 4:30 PM IST.  Which TV channels will live telecast India vs Wales hockey match?  India vs Wales hockey match will be available on Star Sports Select channels for broadcast.  How to watch live streaming of India vs Wales Hockey match?  The hockey fans can watch the live streaming of India vs Wales match at Men’s Hockey World Cup on Jiohotstar.