By Asia Samachar | India |
India’s women’s hockey team registered an emphatic 4–1 win over Wales in their Pool B encounter at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2026 at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Ground in Hyderabad on Wednesday (March 11).
Forward Navneet Kaur starred with a hat-trick, striking in the 29th, 34th and 55th minutes, while Sakshi Rana opened the scoring in the seventh minute**. Wales managed a solitary response through Betsan Thomas in the 39th minute.
Although India had already booked their place in the semi-finals prior to the match, the victory confirmed them as Pool B leaders. The hosts will now face Italy on Friday, with a spot in the tournament final at stake.
Currently ranked ninth in the world, India sit six places above Japan in the FIH women’s rankings. Even in the event of defeats in both the semi-final and the third-place playoff, India are assured of finishing as the highest-ranked fourth-placed side in the competition.
The upcoming World Cup will mark India’s ninth appearance at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup. Their best result remains a fourth-place finish at the inaugural tournament in 1974, while the team finished ninth in the 2022 edition in Spain.
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