FIH World Cup 2026:The Indian men's and women's teams continue to deliver impressive performances at the ongoing FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. Displaying strong form in the opening round of these concurrent tournaments, both Indian teams have secured their spots in the second round.
A day after the men's team advanced, the Indian women's hockey team also qualified for the second round. In their final pool match against England, the Indian team put up a spirited fight, holding the formidable English side to a 0-0 draw and effectively knocking them out of the tournament.
Thwarted Every English Attack
The two teams clashed in a Pool D match of the Women's World Cup on Thursday, August 20, in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The Indian team had already made a strong start to the tournament by holding China—arguably the toughest team to a 2-2 draw.
Subsequently, India staked their claim for the next round by convincingly defeating South Africa 6-1 in their following match. However, the final match against England was crucial, as both teams had a chance to advance to the next stage.
Team India was already ahead of England with four points. Consequently, they needed at least a draw if not a win—in this match. While Team India strove for a victory, they were unsuccessful; however, they also prevented England from succeeding.
The situation saw India earn six penalty corners, yet they failed to convert any of them into goals. On the other hand, England was awarded 12 penalty corners, but the Indian team successfully denied them a goal from those opportunities as well. Overall, the attacking play from both teams lacked sharpness.
Team India Finishes Second
However, Team India benefited from this outcome; having played all three of their Pool D matches and secured a total of 5 points, they finished in second place. Meanwhile, England could only garner 4 points and was eliminated from the race for the semi-finals.
In this pool, China secured the top spot with 7 points and advanced to the next round alongside India. Team India is now set to play two matches in the next round, where they will contend for a place in the semi-finals.
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