India lost 0-2 to the Netherlands in their first second-round fixture at the ongoing FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026. Despite the loss, the Salima Tete-led side still doesn’t find itself out of contention for a semifinals spot at the World Cup.
Is India out of FIH Women’s World Cup 2026 semifinals contention after Netherlands loss?
Despite losing to the Dutch, India still has a chance to make the semifinals.
The criteria for making the last-four is to finish as one of the top-two teams in the second round of the ongoing World Cup.
After the loss to Netherlands, India has dropped to fourth place. It is below Australia, which had drawn with China 1-1 earlier in the day. Both India and Australia have a point apiece, but the latter has a superior goals-scored tally.
| Team | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored | Goals against | Goal difference | Points |
| Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| China | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Australia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
| India | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
India plays Australia in its second and final Pool-E fixture and it has to win this match. A draw might not be enough.
Moreover, the Netherlands vs China match, which will kick off before the India vs Australia match on Sunday, will need to go in India’s favour.
The Sjoerd Marijne-coached team will hope that China doesn’t beat the Dutch. Even if the Chinese draw with Netherlands, it will go to three points. Then, a win will take India’s tally to four points, and to the second spot in the pool.
Published on Aug 21, 2026
