Bengaluru, September 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Fresh from a historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026, the Indian women’s hockey team has departed for Japan for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with gold and direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games firmly in its sights.
Captain Salima Tete and chief coach Sjoerd Marijne will lead the Indian side at the Asian Games, with the team leaving Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Under the FIH qualification system for LA 2028, the highest-placed eligible team in the women’s hockey competition at the 2026 Asian Games will secure an Olympic quota place, provided it has not already qualified through another route.
India’s objective is therefore straightforward — win the Asian Games gold medal and book a direct place at the 2028 Olympics.
The Asian Games mark another important stage in India’s resurgence under Marijne, who returned to the women’s programme earlier this year and was formally appointed chief coach in January 2026. His early focus was on improving fitness, building team chemistry and establishing a strong collective identity as the side entered the Los Angeles Olympic cycle.
India opened its 2026 campaign with a silver medal at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad. The team remained unbeaten until the final and secured World Cup qualification with a 1-0 semi-final win over Italy.
The team then went unbeaten at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup in Auckland. India defeated the USA, Japan and Uruguay in the pool stage before thrashing Chile 6-0 in the semi-final and beating hosts New Zealand 2-0 in the final to win the title. The triumph also earned India promotion to the FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League for the following season.
India carried that momentum into the World Cup, producing one of its strongest campaigns in decades. The fifth-place finish was its best at the tournament since the inaugural edition in 1974. India lost only once, held higher-ranked China, England and Australia to draws, defeated South Africa 6-1 and ended its campaign with a 3-1 victory over world No. 5 Germany.
The team will now look to translate that confidence into Asian Games success, with a direct Olympic berth at stake.
India have been drawn in Pool B alongside hosts Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Uzbekistan. They will begin their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 20, followed by matches against Indonesia on September 21, Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27.
The knockout stage will begin on September 30, with the semi-finals scheduled for the same day. The gold-medal match will be played on October 2.
Salima, who has captained India to the Nations Cup title and the historic World Cup fifth-place finish this year, said the team was determined to build on its recent achievements.
“We are going into the Asian Games with a lot of confidence, but we also know that every tournament brings a new challenge. The Nations Cup and the World Cup have given us belief in what we can achieve together, and now our focus is on taking that one step further. Our goal is very clear — we want to fight for the gold medal and earn direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics,” Tete said.
She added that achieving the target would require consistency, discipline and maximum effort in every match, stressing that the team was ready for the challenge.
The 20-member squad blends experienced players such as Savita, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Nikki Pradhan, Lalremsiami and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam with a group of younger players who have impressed in recent international assignments.
The squad features two goalkeepers — Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam; five defenders — Ishika Chaudhary, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Lalthantluangi, Jyoti and Shilpi Dabas; six midfielders — Nikki Pradhan, Sakshi Rana, Sunelita Toppo, Salima Tete (captain), Neha and Deepika Soreng; and seven forwards — Lalremsiami, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Ishika, Baljeet Kaur and Beauty Dungdung.
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