The Indian men's hockey team will begin their 2025-26 FIH Hockey Pro League campaign in February, even as season 7 of the elite hockey tournament kicks off in December. India will vie for top honours alongside Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Pakistan.New Zealand, which won the 2024-25 Nations Cup, thereby guaranteeing a place in the FIH Pro League, decided not to participate in the tournament. This prompted the FIH to extend an invitation to runners-up Pakistan.The Indian men's team finished eighth out of nine teams in the previous edition of the league, having won 6 of their 16 matches and losing 10.India will play host to Argentina and Belgium as part of an FIH Pro League mini-tournament in February. The seventh season of the FIH Hockey Pro League will get underway on December 9.The Pakistan team, which was part of the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League in 2019 (which did not feature India), was suspended without playing a single match after expressing its inability to take part midway through the competition.India and Pakistan have been slated to be part of the same FIH Pro League mini-tournament to be hosted by England from 23-28 June 2026.Meanwhile, the Indian women's hockey team were relegated from the competition after finishing last in the previous edition, and will instead attempt to win the Nations Cup to gain re-entry into the elite league the following season.Recounting India's FIH Hockey Pro League historyHarmanpreet Singh in action at the FIH Hockey Pro LeagueThe Indian men's hockey team opted not to be a part of the first edition of the FIH Pro League but joined the nine-team competition in the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season.The Indians played a total of 8 matches, winning 3 and losing 2, with the rest of the games being suspended on account of the pandemic.The Men in Blue played their full quota of 16 matches in the 2021-22 edition of the FIH Pro League, winning the bronze medal. The Indians won 8 of their matches, losing 4, finishing behind the winners, the Netherlands and runners-up Belgium. Harmanpreet Singh was the top goalscorer with 18 goals. Incidentally, Australia withdrew from the 2021-22 edition, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.India ended up fourth in the 2022-23 edition of the tournament, winning 8 of their 16 matches and losing 5. Harmanpreet Singh finished as the highest scorer in the league for the second time with 18 goals to his name.The Indians were seventh in the 2023-24 edition of the FIH Pro League before retaining their Olympic bronze medal at Paris 2024 soon after.After finishing a disappointing eighth in the previous edition, the Indian men's team will attempt to resurrect their fortunes in the upcoming edition with the winner of the 2025-26 FIH Pro League earning a direct ticket for the 2028 LA Olympics.