All the talk heading into the Hockey World Cup has been about the jinx that has haunted both the Indian men’s and women’s teams for decades.
Since 1975, the Indian men’s team hasn’t reached the semi-finals of the tournament. For the women’s side, they made it to the final four at the inaugural edition in 1974, but have since struggled to leave a lasting mark on the competition.
HOCKEY WORLD CUP: FULL COVERAGE
But let’s leave those negative thoughts behind for a moment. That includes the whole conversation around the saffron jerseys too.
There is, in fact, an intriguing parallel between India’s 1975 World Cup-winning campaign and the current men’s team.
Ajit Pal Singh had already captained India at the 1971 World Cup before going on to lift the trophy in his second appearance as skipper. Harmanpreet Singh now finds himself on a similar path. After leading India at the 2023 World Cup, he will captain the side again, making him only the second Indian after Ajit Pal Singh to lead the team in two editions of the tournament.
For the women’s team, meanwhile, this is a golden opportunity to write a completely new chapter.
They have never won the World Cup and, under Sjoerd Marijne, the confidence is sky high. A successful Nations Cup campaign has provided a fresh dose of optimism after the first phase of Marijne’s reign ended with India’s historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
In Tokyo, India overcame the odds to finish fourth, their best-ever performance at the Olympics.
Both coaches know the task ahead is massive. Yet Craig Fulton and Marijne have remained quietly optimistic about what their teams can achieve.
Fulton has built India around a strong defensive foundation, but that hasn’t come at the cost of goals. After a horrible first leg, India sharpened their game during the Pro League and finished with 31 goals.
The men’s team heads into the World Cup on an encouraging note after a strong showing in the final leg of the FIH Pro League.
India picked up impressive wins over reigning world champions Germany and Olympic champions the Netherlands, while also getting the better of arch-rivals Pakistan twice. They also edged past England in a shootout.
Those results carry even more weight with both England and Pakistan set to face India again in the World Cup group stage.
At the same time, captain Harmanpreet Singh and the rest of the team are oozing confidence. A trip to the Swiss Alps and valuable time under the guidance of Paddy Upton have given the players another boost, both mentally and in terms of belief.
“We have worked really hard for this tournament, having analysed all the teams deeply. We are playing against Wales after a long time but their style remains the same. We had a great training session ahead of the match, so the team is really upbeat,” said Harmanpreet to PTI.
Salima Tete, too, believes her side can go all the way and push the world’s best teams to the limit.
“Every player dreams of playing in a World Cup and winning a medal. Our last tournament in New Zealand, the FIH Nations Cup, was a great success. We won it and brought home the medal. So this time, in the World Cup, our goal is the same. Every match counts, and we will treat each one with equal importance. We are determined to play our best hockey and bring back the gold medal,” said Salima.
The excitement, then, is building. And with a new format in play, there will be little room for either Indian team to take their foot off the pedal.
HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2026: SQUADS
India men’s team
Goalkeepers: Mohith HS, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach
Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek
India women’s team
Goalkeepers: Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam
Defenders: Ishika Chaudhary, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalthantluangi, Jyoti, Shilpi Dabas
Midfielders: Nikki Pradhan, Sakshi Rana, Sunelita Toppo, Salima Tete (c), Neha, Deepika Soreng
Forwards: Lalremsiami, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Ishika, Baljeet Kaur, Beauty Dungdung
HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2026: INDIA SCHEDULE
India men’s team
August 15: India vs Wales (4:30 PM IST)
August 17: India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
August 19: India vs Pakistan (6:30 PM IST)
India women’s team
August 16: China vs India (4:30 PM IST)
August 18: India vs South Africa (6:30 PM IST)
August 20: India vs England (6:30 PM IST)
Phase 2 of the tournament will start on August 21 and run until August 25. Phase 3 will begin on August 27 and continue until August 28. The women’s medal matches will take place on August 29, while the men’s medal matches will be played on August 30.
NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY
If there is one thing we have seen from the Indian teams, it is their ability to bounce back from a difficult phase with renewed vigour.
When the first leg of the Hockey Pro League turned into a disaster, there was a quick recalibration. The results followed soon after.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, the order of the day will be simple: stay grounded, stick to the basics and take it one game at a time.
The men’s team may have a relatively manageable group with England, Wales and Pakistan, but they cannot afford to take any of their opponents lightly.
Their last four games against England have seen India win twice, including once via a shootout. England have also been steadily emerging as one of the teams threatening to break into the game’s top tier.
“When you’re approaching the World Cup, first is the pool stage, so they have to focus on Wales first. Go through them and don’t let in goals and score the maximum number of goals. Against England, take it very cautiously, because they have good forward line and they got, they were a better team than us but on a given day,” said Romeo James.
For the women’s team, China, South Africa and England will provide a stern test of their character, chemistry and consistency.
“I think the first thing is to focus on one match at a time. Whatever our first match is, we have to focus on that first, look at the opponent and decide what we need to do.”
“Second, if you are playing a good team, a team that you have played against before, you must keep one thing in mind: we cannot give them points. We must not give away points. Even if we cannot take points from them, we absolutely cannot give them points,” said Pritam Rani Siwach.
“First, we have to keep our defence strong and not concede goals, and then we have to score against the opponent. That is the most important point to keep in mind. And second, in defence, defending penalty corners, and in attack, conversion. These are the two things that are very important to focus on when it comes to penalty corners.”
GOALKEEPING A WORRY?
When it comes to the women’s team, India are in safe hands with experienced campaigner Savita and the emerging Bichu Devi guarding the goal.
The same cannot quite be said about the men’s side.
Ever since PR Sreejesh’s retirement, India have been searching for the goalkeeper who can step into his enormous shoes. Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera were initially seen as successors, but the former now appears to be out of the national team picture.
Mohith KS has emerged as the new kid on the block and has already shown that he can hold his own against some of the best.
James, a goalkeeper himself during his playing days, believes the margin for error for the duo will be extremely small.
“The only thing is that both the goalkeepers, whoever is playing, they have to be up to the mark. They play well then the team will have that confidence that they can go through,” said James.
And the Indian legend has been impressed by Mohith’s rise.
“He is covering his angles well and he’s very cool under the bar,” said James.
INDIA’S ACES
When you look at the men’s team, there is little doubt about who the main man is.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh has scored 291 goals in 264 games and remains India’s biggest threat in front of goal, while also providing the defensive steel the team needs.
“He has improved as a player, as a drag-flicker, as a captain, and he’s very humble. He takes the team along, so Harmanpreet has always been a game-changer in the last two Olympics,” said James.
But this time, Harmanpreet won’t have to shoulder the entire burden of scoring.
Jugraj Singh and Amit Rohidas can share the drag-flick duties, while Rajinder Singh could provide another attacking dimension.
Rajinder could be a wildcard in midfield, according to James, who believes the youngster can quietly dictate the tempo from the middle of the park.
“With Manpreet Singh and Hardik Singh giving him the support, I think the Rajinder can be a game changer because other teams will be aware of Hardik and Manpreet and Rajinder can go through,” said James.
For the women’s team, Pritam Rani wants the collective to matter more than individual brilliance.
India’s women’s team has undergone a significant transformation since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The squad that reached the Olympic stage five years ago was built around veterans such as Rani Rampal, Gurjit Kaur, Deep Grace Ekka, Savita Punia and Vandana Katariya.
Of that core, only Savita remains in the leadership group heading into the 2026 World Cup.
The baton has since been passed to a new generation.
Players who were still finding their feet in Tokyo, including Navneet Kaur, Neha Goyal, Nikki Pradhan, Sushila Chanu, Lalremsiami and current captain Salima Tete, have grown into key figures for the side.
In the space of five years, the youngsters of the Olympic squad have become the leaders India now look towards.
“I believe the entire team has a very important role to play. In today’s hockey, you cannot depend on one particular player. A team doesn’t win because of one player and a team doesn’t lose because of one player. That is very important.”
“here are seniors as well as juniors, so it is a mixture of the two in the team. But when the senior players perform, the junior players will automatically play well alongside them. As you know, in the senior team, there is Neha and Navneet, right? These two are there. And if you look at the defence, there is Sushila Chanu, who is the most senior, and Nikki Pradhan. There are three or four girls who have to give 100 or 110 per cent on the field,” said Pritam Rani.
HOW FAR CAN INDIA GO?
This is the question everyone will have in mind.
On the men’s side, if India make it out of Group D, they are expected to face Olympic champions and hosts the Netherlands and Argentina.
Beyond that, Australia, Germany and Belgium loom as the biggest threats.
If India can top their group with three wins, that momentum will carry into the next phase, where they will need just one win to progress.
Importantly, all five of those heavyweight teams have tasted defeat against India in recent times.
For James, however, the immediate target should be simple: get through the quarter-finals and then build from there.
“They should make it to the quarterfinals, and then look forward to and by match by match against Argentina and Holland, and if they win one of them, they’re through to the semifinals,” said James.
However, he warned that the European teams are shrewd customers and will need to be dealt with carefully.
“Europeans are very shrewd. They don’t show all their cards, you know, in the Pro League; they don’t show their cards at all. They step up in big tournaments,” said James.
Pritam Rani, meanwhile, believes her former team can make it to the semi-finals and make the country proud.
But everything starts with the opening game against China.
“The structure of our game is fine. They have just come off a decent tournament and won it, so their confidence level is also a little higher.”
“So I feel the team should reach the semi-finals. And to reach the semi-finals, it is very important for them to win their first match, which is against China,” said Pritam Rani.
And so, the stage is set.
The world’s best sides will battle it out for the biggest prize in hockey, while India arrive with two teams carrying very different histories but a shared ambition.
For India, this World Cup is about more than a drought that has lasted decades.
It is about starting a new chapter.
And perhaps, after all these years, one that ends with a couple of golden trophies.
– Ends
