India played out a 0-0 draw with England to advance to the next stage of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026.
The Salima Tete-led side finished the group stage in second place, behind China. It recorded two draws and a single win to amass five points from three matches. With this result, India confirmed its place amongst the top eight teams in the tournament’s final rankings.
In the previous edition in 2022, which was held in Spain and the Netherlands, India made the cross-overs but lost 0-1 to Spain. The side ended the tournament in the ninth place after winning two of its classification matches.
When was the last time India finished in Top 8 at a Women’s Hockey World Cup?
The last time India finished inside the top eight was in the 2018 edition held in London.
Placed in Pool B alongside Ireland, United States, and host England, the Indian team finished third and advanced to the cross-overs.
It then earned a quarterfinal spot by beating Italy 3-0, but lost 1-3 on penalties to Ireland in the last-eight stage. In the final ranking of teams after the end of the tournament, India was placed eighth amongst the 16 teams.
The other occasion on which India finished inside the top eight was in the inaugural edition in 1974. It reached the semifinals, losing 0-1 to Argentina in the last-four stage, and finished fourth in the overall rankings.
Published on Aug 20, 2026
