MUSCAT: Ten clubs will compete in the 2026 Junior Hockey League, which gets under way on Friday and continues until August 31, with matches staged across Muscat, Sohar and Salalah.
Organised by the Oman Hockey Association, the tournament will feature 21 matches across three groups, with each group following a separate competition pathway and crowning its own champion.
Group 1 comprises Seeb, Al Amerat, Qurayat and Al Bashayer, while Group 2 includes Al Nahda, Al Musannah, Masirah and Al Suwaiq. Group 3 brings together Salalah and Al Ittihad in a three-match series.
The competition will open at Hockey Oman Stadium on Friday, when Seeb face Al Bashayer at 6 pm before Al Amerat take on Qurayat at 8 pm. The remaining Group 1 preliminary matches will be played on August 18 and 21.
Following the single round-robin stage, the four clubs will move into the semifinals on August 23, with the group winners facing the fourth-placed side and the runners-up meeting the third-placed team. The two winners will contest the Group 1 final on August 26.
Group 2 will be staged at Sohar Sports Complex, beginning with Al Nahda against Al Suwaiq and Al Musannah against Masirah. Its preliminary phase continues until August 23, followed by the semifinals on August 25 and 26 and the final on August 30.
In Salalah, Salalah Club and Al Ittihad will meet three times at the Salalah Cultural Complex. Their opening encounter is scheduled for August 19, followed by further matches on August 25 and 31, with all three fixtures beginning at 5 pm. The team collecting the most points across the three matches will claim the Group 3 title.
Under the competition regulations, teams will receive three points for a victory in regulation time and no points for a regulation defeat. If a match is level at the end of normal time, each team will take three shoot-out attempts, with two points awarded to the shoot-out winner and one to the other side.
The champions of Groups 1 and 2 will each receive the championship trophy, 25 gold medals and a cash prize of RO 1,000, while the runners-up will receive 25 silver medals and RO 500. The Group 3 champions will collect the trophy, 25 gold medals and RO 500, with the runners-up earning 25 silver medals and RO 300.
Individual awards of RO 25 will also be presented to the best player, best goalkeeper and leading scorer in each host centre.
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