A total of 30 teams will compete across three divisions in the 16th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship 2026, which begins in Pune on Wednesday.The tournament will run until August 23, with teams competing for the national title as well as promotion and relegation between the three divisions.The championship is divided into Division A, Division B and Division C, creating a pathway for teams to compete at different levels and move up or down the national competition structure.Division A has 12 teams split into four pools. Jharkhand, Punjab and Chandigarh form Pool A, while Haryana, Odisha and Bengal are in Pool B. Pool C comprises Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Manipur, with Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal making up Pool D.The Division A league stage begins on August 16, with each team playing the other teams in its pool. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals on August 20. The semifinals will be held on August 21, followed by the third-place match and final on August 23.The 12 Division A teams will compete for the national championship. The teams finishing 11th and 12th overall will be relegated to Division B for the next edition.Division B has 10 teams divided into two pools. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Kerala and Mizoram are in Pool A, while Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Goa form Pool B. The top two teams will be promoted to Division A, while the bottom two will drop to Division C.Division C has eight teams split into two pools. Arunachal, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Rajasthan and Tripura are in Pool A. Puducherry, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir and Telangana are in Pool B. The top two teams will earn promotion to Division B for the next edition.Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said, “With teams competing across three divisions, the tournament will provide young players with valuable competitive exposure while strengthening the domestic pathway.”
