30 Teams Set to Compete in 16th Junior Women’s National Hockey Championship in Pune

A total of 30 teams will compete across three divisions in the 16th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2026, which begins in Pune today and will continue until August 23.

The tournament will feature Division A, Division B and Division C, with teams competing not only for the national title but also for promotion and relegation within the domestic hockey structure.

Division A has 12 teams divided into four pools. Pool A comprises Jharkhand, Punjab and Chandigarh, while Pool B features Haryana, Odisha and Bengal. Pool C includes Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Manipur, with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal forming Pool D.

The Division A league stage will begin on August 16, with teams playing against others in their respective pools. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals on August 20, followed by the semifinals on August 21. The third-place match and final will be played on August 23.

The 12 Division A teams will battle for the national championship, while those finishing 11th and 12th will be relegated to Division B for the next edition.

Division B will feature 10 teams in two pools. Pool A consists of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Kerala and Mizoram, while Pool B includes Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Goa. The top two teams will earn promotion to Division A, while the bottom two will drop to Division C.

Division C has eight teams, with Arunachal, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Rajasthan and Tripura in Pool A, and Puducherry, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir and Telangana in Pool B. The top two teams will be promoted to Division B.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said the three-division format would provide young players with valuable competitive exposure while strengthening the country's domestic hockey pathway.