The 15th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2025 will get underway on Tuesday in Jalandhar and continue until August 23. The competition will be played in the newly-introduced division-based format, already in place for the Senior, Sub Junior Men’s and Women’s, and Junior Women’s National Championships earlier this year.
This year’s tournament will see 30 teams split into Division ‘A’, Division ‘B’ and Division ‘C’, with promotion and relegation adding extra stakes to the matches. Division ‘A’ sides will battle for the championship, while the top two teams from Divisions ‘B’ and ‘C’ will earn promotion to a higher tier. The bottom two teams in Divisions ‘A’ and ‘B’ will drop to the lower tier in 2026.
Division ‘A’ features the country’s 12 best junior men’s teams, including defending champions Hockey Punjab, runners-up Hockey Uttar Pradesh, and third-placed Hockey Haryana. Pool matches will take place from August 16, followed by the knockout stage — quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final — from August 20 to 23.
Division ‘B’ will have league matches from August 12 to 16, with the top two teams earning promotion to Division ‘A’ and the bottom two relegated to Division ‘C’. Division ‘C’ will also follow a league format from August 12 to 15, with the top two teams moving up to Division ‘B’.
In all divisions, teams will receive three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, “Junior tournaments are extremely crucial for the future of Indian hockey. The young players will learn a lot playing in this format as we will see a different level of competitiveness among teams across all divisions as they battle for promotion and the championship title. I wish all the players good luck and am looking forward to seeing how the tournament shapes up ahead.”
Echoing his sentiments, Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh added, “The Junior Men National Championships are an important event in our calendar, giving young players valuable match experience and exposure. We are confident that this year’s tournament will showcase strong performances and continue to contribute to the growth of the sport at the grassroots level.”