Hockey India explains saffron jersey switch ahead of 2026 World Cup

NEW DELHI: Hockey India has explained its decision to change the national men’s and women’s teams’ traditional blue jerseys to saffron ahead of the 2026 International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The change had drawn criticism, including from former men’s team captain Viren Rasquinha, prompting Hockey India to issue a clarification.

The organisation said the decision followed recommendations from support staff and players and detailed consultations with them. The main consideration, it said, was technical. Hockey India said the blue playing uniform tended to blend with the blue synthetic playing surface, which is now the standard colour of international hockey pitches. The visual similarity affected on-field clarity and visibility for players.

Coaches and players suggested alternative colours, including yellow and saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised, Hockey India said.

The colour also carries significance as one of the colours of the national flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice and national pride, it added.

Hockey India said changes to the national team’s playing kit were not unprecedented and had been made from time to time for functional and other requirements. At the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup, the team’s jersey colour was changed to yellow, while for the 2018 edition it was changed to sky blue with a completely different design.

The present move to saffron, Hockey India said, was implemented considering the technical feedback received from coaches and players as well as the symbolic value associated with the colour being part of the national flag.