India will begin their Women’s Asian Champions Trophy title defence against Malaysia in Bhopal on November 19, according to the schedule announced by the Asian Hockey Federation on November 4. The six-team tournament will run until November 28.
The hosts will then face South Korea on November 21, Thailand on November 22, China on November 24 and Japan on November 25. The published schedule gives India the 7pm local-time slot for all five pool matches, with an opening ceremony before their first game.
Each team will play the other five once, and the leading four will progress to the semi-finals on November 27. The fifth-place classification match is also scheduled for that day. The bronze-medal match and final will follow on November 28.
IANS reported that the competition will take place at the new hockey stadium in Bhopal’s International Sports Complex at Nathu Barkheda. India enter as defending champions after winning in 2016, 2023 and 2024. The federation says the schedule remains subject to amendment.
Illustrative archive photo (June 2, 2013): A field-hockey ball during the OZ–Rotterdam play-offs, not the Bhopal tournament. Photo: “The ball” by Jos Dielis, CC BY 2.0. Web-resolution image; display may be resized or cropped.
