SportsPosted at: Sep 19 2026 6:15PM


Asian Games hockey: Olympic qualification at stake as Indian teams begin campaign on Sep 20

New Delhi, Sep 20 (UNI) India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams begin their Asian Games 2026 campaigns on Sunday with Olympic qualification on the line, as both sides look to make a strong start after contrasting outings at the recent World Cup.

The women's team will open India's hockey campaign when it takes on Uzbekistan in Pool B at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. Later, the men's side will follow against Indonesia in its Pool A opener at the same venue.

The Asian Games carry added significance this time, with the gold medallists in both men's and women's hockey earning direct qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led men’s team enters the competition looking to put its disappointing World Cup campaign behind it. India finished eighth at the 2026 World Cup after failing to reach the semifinals and will now aim to address the shortcomings that surfaced during the tournament.

Head coach Craig Fulton said the team has already assessed its World Cup performance and must now turn those lessons into action.

“These are lessons, and the only way to treat them as lessons learned is to turn that learning into action. That's what we've got to do now. We've discussed everything, gone through everything and highlighted areas needing improvement. At the same time, it's now about action,” said Fulton, as quoted by Hockey India.

India are four-time Asian Games gold medallists, having won the title in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022. They are also the reigning two-time Olympic bronze medallists and will be keen to secure their place at the Los Angeles Games at the earliest opportunity.

The Indian men have been drawn in Pool A with Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Their group campaign will include challenging fixtures against South Korea, also four-time Asian Games champions, and 2018 winners Japan.

The women's team, meanwhile, heads into the Asian Games after a memorable World Cup campaign in which it finished fifth, its best result in 52 years despite missing out on a semifinal place.

Coach Marijne acknowledged the significance of that performance but stressed the need to move forward quickly.

“We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament… You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one,” said Marijne.

India’s women have won the Asian Games gold medal only once, in 1982, while they claimed bronze at the Hangzhou 2023 Games. They also finished a historic fourth at the 2020 Olympics
but missed out on qualification for the 2024 Paris Games.

With a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics available to the Asian Games champions, qualification will be an important objective for the Indian women. They will, however, face
strong competition from China, who are four-time Asian Games gold medallists, the defending champions and reigning Olympic silver medallists.
India are in Pool B alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore.
UNI TIB BM
Tags: #Asian Games hockey: Olympic qualification at stake as Indian teams begin campaign on Sep 20
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