India Women Qualify for FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, Set to Face Italy in Hyderabad Semi-final

India has secured its place in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 after reaching the semi-finals of the ongoing FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in Hyderabad, Telangana. The hosts will take on Italy in the semi-final on March 13.

India’s men’s team had already confirmed its participation in the men’s World Cup, which will be held simultaneously, after winning the Asian Cup. The women’s team, however, had missed out on direct qualification earlier, as only the winner of the Continental Cup earns an automatic berth in the World Cup.

With qualification now assured, the Indian women’s team has shifted its focus to winning the Hyderabad qualifiers. The last time both the men’s and women’s teams competed in a major global event together was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where the men won a bronze medal and the women narrowly missed out on a podium finish.

In the qualifiers, India topped Pool B with seven points from three matches, edging Scotland on goal difference. Scotland also finished with seven points but placed second in the group. India recorded two wins and one draw during the pool stage.

The hosts opened their campaign with a dominant 4–0 victory over Uruguay. They followed it with a closely contested 2–2 draw against Scotland before finishing the group stage with a convincing 4–1 win against Wales.

India’s strong performances ensured World Cup qualification under the tournament rule that awards a berth to the highest world-ranked team finishing fourth across the two qualifying events.

The Santiago leg of the qualifiers concluded earlier, where Chile, Australia, and Ireland secured the three direct qualification spots. Japan finished fourth in Santiago and currently holds the No. 15 position in the world rankings. With India ranked ninth globally, the hosts are assured of finishing as the highest-ranked fourth-placed team across the two qualifying tournaments, thereby confirming their place in the World Cup.

Having achieved one of their key objectives, India will now look to maintain momentum and secure a place in the final when they face Italy. Italy finished second in Pool A with four points, recording one win, one draw, and one loss.

India will also look to continue the strong form of forward Navneet Kaur, who is currently the joint top scorer of the tournament with four goals. She delivered an impressive performance in the final pool match against Wales, scoring a hat-trick.

Italy, meanwhile, will rely on Federica Carta, who has emerged as their main attacking threat and has scored three goals in the tournament so far.

Historically, India has held the advantage in head-to-head encounters between the two sides. Since 2012, India and Italy have faced each other seven times. India has won five matches, Italy has won once, and one match ended in a draw.

Speaking ahead of the semi-final, Indian team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, “Securing qualification for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026 is an important milestone for this group, and the players deserve a lot of credit for the way they have performed so far in the tournament. They have shown good discipline, composure, and attacking intent throughout the pool stage.”

“At the same time, our mindset is very clear—we are not here just to qualify. We want to keep improving with every match and aim to win the tournament,” said Marijne adding “The semifinal is another big challenge, and we will approach it with full focus and intensity.”

“Italy is a competitive side, and they have shown in this tournament that they can trouble strong teams. For us, the focus will be on executing our plans well, maintaining our structure, and continuing to play with the same energy and confidence,” Marijne added. 

Related posts:

Argentina Dominates Pan American Cup, Books Double Berth for 2026 Hockey World Cups India Clinches Asia Cup Hockey 2025, Secures Spot in FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Indian Hockey’s Road to LA 2028: Tejinder Singh Aujla on Qualification Challenges, Transition, and Governance FIH Junior World Cup Hockey: India to Play Pakistan on November 29