Asian Games champions and bronze medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian men’s hockey team confronts a difficult Pool B draw at the forthcoming Paris Games. India, the eight-time champions, will face strong opponents like as reigning Olympic champions and World No.2 Belgium, superpower Australia, Rio Games gold winner Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland. India, currently rated third globally, won a historic bronze medal in Tokyo, breaking a 41-year medal drought. The team has typically struggled to defeat opponents such as Tokyo silver medalists Australia and Argentina.

Teams competing in Pool A include the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and South Africa. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced the pools for the men’s and women’s hockey competitions following the conclusion of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers on Sunday.

In the women’s hockey tournament at the Paris Games, India, who achieved a solid fourth-place result in Tokyo, would not be represented as they failed to qualify. India finished fourth after losing 0-1 to Japan in the Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi on Friday. Germany, the United States, and Japan secured their spots at the Ranchi event. The Netherlands, the reigning Olympic champions, headlines Pool A, which also includes Belgium, Germany, Japan, China, and hosts France. Pool B includes Australia, the current silver medalists Argentina, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, and South Africa. Teams are assigned to their respective pools based on the FIH World Rankings.

The 12 teams per gender earned their qualification for the Olympics by a variety of means, including hosting, winning their continental qualifiers, and finishing in the top three of their FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers. The top four teams from each pool in men’s and women’s tournaments will advance to the quarterfinals. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, with hockey competitions beginning on July 27 and ending on August 9.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s struggling men’s hockey team has failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the third time in a row, losing its final chance at a Paris ticket at the FIH Qualifiers in Oman, a result that has left the game’s past greats both saddened and enraged.

After losing 0-4 to Germany in the tournament’s semi-final, Pakistan lost 2-3 to New Zealand in the third-place match, putting an end to their aspirations of competing in this year’s Paris Olympics, as only the top three advanced. Pakistan’s last Olympic appearance was in the 2012 Games where the team managed to finish seventh.