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2026 Field Hockey World Cup: India women 5th, men 8th

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2026-09-02 11:09 UTC → 2026-09-08 15:25 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup, co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, has concluded with significant classification results for the Indian national squads. In the women's competition, India secured a historic fifth-place finish, their best performance since the inaugural 1974 tournament. This was achieved via a 3-1 victory over Germany at Wagener Stadium. Following a scoreless first half, Ishika Chaudhary scored in the 43rd minute with a “reverse-lift shot”, followed by two quick goals from Navneet Kaur in the 44th and 47th minutes. Despite a late goal from Germany’s Lynn Krings, India maintained the lead. Germany finished sixth following this defeat. The team, led by coach Sjoerd Marijne, was noted for defensive discipline and strong goalkeeping from Savita Punia and newcomer Bichu Devi Kharibam. In recognition of this achievement, Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 50 lakh for the squad. In the men's tournament, India finished in eighth place. After a 3-5 defeat against Argentina, the men's squad faced Belgium in the seventh-place playoff at the Belfius Hockey Arena. The match ended in a 3-3 draw during regulation time. India took an early lead through Abhishek, but Belgium responded via Roman Duvekot and Hugo Labouchere. Harmanpreet Singh equalized with a penalty corner in the 31st minute. After Belgium regained the lead through Nicolas de Kerpel, India substituted their goalkeeper for an extra outfield player, allowing Harmanpreet Singh to convert a penalty corner with 26 seconds remaining to force a shoot-out. Belgium won the shoot-out 3-0, with Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh failing to convert their attempts. The men's campaign has raised concerns regarding defensive struggles and midfield control ahead of upcoming competitions like the Asian Games.

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