PM Modi Praises Belgium, Netherlands For Hosting 2026 Hockey World Cup

 Belgium , 3 Sep : On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Belgium and the Netherlands for successfully hosting the 2026 Hockey World Cup, while highlighting the performances of India’s men’s and women’s teams.

Speaking after his meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever in New Delhi, PM Modi congratulated Belgium for co-hosting the tournament, which concluded recently.

Germany won the men’s title, while Argentina emerged champions in the women’s competition.

PM Modi acknowledged the efforts of the Indian teams at the global event.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led men’s team finished eighth. India missed out on the semi-finals after placing fourth in the second pool stage and later lost the seventh-place match to Belgium 3-4 on penalties after the contest ended 3-3 in regulation time.

India’s women produced a stronger result, securing fifth place. Led by Salima Tete, the team defeated world No 5 Germany 3-1 in the fifth-place classification match. The side finished third in the second pool stage and did not progress to the semi-finals.

De Wever arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for a three-day India visit, his first since becoming Belgian Prime Minister in February last year. Defence Minister Theo Francken is accompanying him.

The visit is the first by a Belgian Prime Minister to India in 20 years and follows the Belgian Economic Mission led by Princess Astrid in March 2025.

De Wever will likely address a Confederation of Indian Industry business event linked to the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.

On Friday, the Belgian Prime Minister will travel to Mumbai for meetings with stakeholders from the diamond, ports and logistics sectors.

The visit aims to expand cooperation in trade, defence, technology, renewable energy and broader India-EU engagement.