India’s women’s hockey team will look to end its FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign on a historic high when it takes on Germany in the 5th/6th place classification match at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Thursday.
A win would seal India’s best-ever finish at a World Cup since its fourth-place showing at the inaugural 1974 edition in Mandelieu, France.
That Indian side, captained by Ajinder Kaur, famously beat the Netherlands 1-0 in that campaign — a result made all the more remarkable by what followed. The Dutch went on to win that inaugural title and have since become the most successful team in the tournament’s history, with nine titles to their name.
Salima Tete’s side has been the story of this tournament, going unbeaten in four of five matches and holding higher-ranked opponents China, England and Australia to draws. India also recorded its most emphatic World Cup win, thrashing South Africa 6-1 with six different scorers on the day. Its only defeat in the tournament came against defending champion Netherlands, which edged past India 2-0.
Germany, meanwhile, finished third in its second-stage pool after beating Spain but losing to Belgium, a result that sent it into this classification clash rather than the semifinals.
Where to watch: The match begins at 6:30 PM IST on Thursday and streams live on JioHotstar, with TV coverage on Star Sports.
Published on Aug 27, 2026
