VANTAGE BLACK STICKS MEN TO HOST INDIA IN HISTORIC CENTENARY TEST SERIES

Hockey New Zealand is delighted to announce that the Vantage Black Sticks Men will host India in a special international test series in November 2026 as part of the India-New Zealand Centenary celebrations, marking 100 years since India’s first hockey tour to New Zealand in 1926.

The series will be one of the centrepiece sporting events within New Zealand’s wider 100 Years of Unity Through Sport programme, commemorating a century of sporting, cultural and people-to-people connections between New Zealand and India. The event will bring together two proud hockey nations to celebrate a relationship that has shaped the history of our sport and continues to inspire future generations.

In recognition of the historic origins of the relationship, the match programme will also feature special Armed Forces fixtures, with representative military teams from New Zealand and India competing as curtain-raisers to the Black Sticks test matches. These fixtures honour the original 1926 Indian Army hockey team whose tour to New Zealand began a sporting connection that has endured for a century.

For Hockey New Zealand, the tour represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to recognise the sport that sits at the heart of this centenary story. The 1926 Indian Army hockey tour laid the foundation for a sporting legacy that has endured for 100 years, and hockey remains a powerful symbol of the friendship between our two nations.

Michelle Hollands, Chief Executive of Hockey New Zealand, said:

"This series is about much more than international hockey. It is a celebration of history, culture, community and the enduring connection between New Zealand and India. To host India 100 years after their first tour to New Zealand is incredibly significant. Hockey played a founding role in the relationship between our two countries, and we are proud to be at the centre of this centenary programme."

"The inclusion of the Armed Forces matches is particularly meaningful. These fixtures acknowledge the military origins of the original 1926 tour and provide another opportunity to celebrate the shared history and friendship that has grown between our nations over the past century."

The test series is expected to attract strong interest from hockey fans, the Indian-New Zealand community and sporting supporters across the country. Alongside the international matches, a range of community, cultural and heritage activities are being planned to celebrate the centenary and strengthen connections between New Zealand and Indiathrough sport.

India is one of the most successful and recognised hockey nations in the world, and the series will provide valuable international competition for the Vantage Black Sticks Men as they continue their preparations towards future major international campaigns.

The Armed Forces fixtures will further enrich the occasion, creating a unique sporting spectacle that honours the past while celebrating the future of the relationship between the two countries.

Test matches will be held on 19th, 21st and 22nd November, with further details regarding match venues, ticketing and associated community and cultural events to be announced in the coming months.

Hockey New Zealand looks forward to welcoming the Indian teams, supporters, military representatives and dignitaries to New Zealand for what promises to be a memorable celebration of hockey, friendship and a shared century of sporting history.