Hyderabad: The India women’s national field hockey team launched their campaign in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2026 with a commanding 4-0 victory over the Uruguay women’s national field hockey team at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana on Sunday, with youngsters and debutants delivering an impressive performance.
The match also marked the first major assignment for returning head coach Sjoerd Marijne, who had admitted before the opener that he was unsure what to expect from his side after having only one practice game.
“We just had one practice match. I am excited and curious to see what we do in this tournament,” the Dutchman had said ahead of the clash.
India dominated the early exchanges, repeatedly entering the opposition circle and earning an early penalty corner in the fourth minute. Though Udita found the net through a well-worked variation, the goal was disallowed.
The hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when Sunelita Toppo reacted quickest to a rebound from a penalty corner and tapped the ball into the net.
Uruguay had a chance to respond when they earned their first penalty corner in the 29th minute but failed to capitalise as India’s defence held firm.
India doubled their lead in the 40th minute when debutant Ishika calmly slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner after receiving a precise pass from Sakshi Rana. Ishika and Toppo were both part of India’s recent junior squad and made a strong impression in their senior outing.
The Indian attack continued to press after the break. In the 49th minute, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal dribbled down the left flank before passing to Lalremsiami, who carried the ball into the circle and fired a powerful finish past the goalkeeper.
Pisal then added her name to the scoresheet in the 58th minute, driving through the middle and unleashing a powerful shot to complete a comprehensive victory for the hosts.
The convincing win provided an encouraging start for Marijne’s side as they aim to secure qualification for the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup.
Other matches
In another match, the England women’s national field hockey team defeated the Italy women’s national field hockey team 5-2 in a high-scoring contest. Grace Balsdon starred with two penalty-corner strikes in the 12th and 32nd minutes, while Lottie Bingham and Elizabeth Neal scored in quick succession in the 15th and 16th minutes to put England firmly in control. Italy responded through Ivanna Pessina before Anna Toman restored England’s advantage before half-time. Federica Carta later scored Italy’s second goal in the 46th minute.
Meanwhile, the South Korea women’s national field hockey team edged past the Austria women’s national field hockey team 1-0 in a closely fought encounter. Seona Kim scored the only goal of the match in the 34th minute, while both teams failed to convert their penalty-corner opportunities.
In another tight contest, the Scotland women’s national field hockey team defeated the Wales women’s national field hockey team 1-0. Amy Costello converted a penalty corner in the 20th minute to score the decisive goal. Scotland could have extended their lead but efforts from Sarah Jamieson and Ellie Mackenzie struck the post.
India will next face the Scotland women’s national field hockey team in their second Pool B match as the tournament continues in Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad leg is one of two qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup, alongside another event in Santiago, Chile. The teams finishing first, second and third in each tournament will secure direct qualification for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Belgium and Netherlands from August 15 to 30, 2026, while the best-ranked fourth-placed team across both events will also qualify.
Source: FIH, The Indian express, Olympics
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