India Women seal best Hockey World Cup finish since 1974, beat Germany 3-1

India women produced a stunning second-half turnaround to beat Germany 3-1 and secure fifth place at the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Thursday. The victory sealed India’s best finish at the World Cup since their fourth-place effort in the inaugural edition in 1974.

India had lost only one match in the tournament and entered the fifth-place play-off knowing a win would cap an impressive campaign. The contest, however, appeared destined for a tense finish after Germany dominated stretches of the first half and kept India’s attack quiet.

On India’s fifth-place finish,



midfielder Neha said, “It’s really something to be proud of. Fifth place in the World Cup is a great achievement. I know we wanted to win the semi-final and final, but it is what it is. We are happy to finish fifth.”

Neha also said that the Asian Games will present another major challenge for India, especially with the Olympics in sight.

“The Asian Games are an important tournament for us, especially with the Olympics in mind. It will be a tough challenge as Asia has several strong teams, including China, Japan and Korea. We will give our best, keep working on our game and continue to fight hard.”