India will face Thailand in the opener of the six-nation Women’s Asian Champions Trophy to be held at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi from October 27 to November 5.
The hosts will face Thailand (Oct 27), Malaysia (Oct 28), China (Oct 30), holders Japan (Oct 31) and three-time winners South Korea (Nov 2) in that order. The top four will play the semi-finals on November 4.
At No.7, India will be the highest ranked team in the competition with Japan ranked No.10, China 11, South Korea 12, Malaysia 19 and Thailand 30.
In the six previous editions, India have reached the final thrice but won only once, in 2016. This is also the first time India is hosting the tournament.
“We are proud to host another major Asian tournament and I’m sure the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy will be a great spectacle with some of the top women’s hockey teams in the world participating,” Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said.
India hosted the men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last month, and won the title.