Asian Games 2026 Hockey: India Men and Women Begin Campaigns With Olympic Qualification in Focus
The men’s and women’s hockey teams of India will start their respective campaigns in the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday. While both the teams showed contrasting performances in the recently concluded FIH World Cup, both of them will look to better their performance and score some victories in the coming Asian Games. After getting eighth place in the World Cup, the Indian men’s team, which has been placed in Pool A, will kick off their quest for retaining the gold medal in the game against Indonesia in Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara. The Indian women’s team, after their splendid performance in the World Cup, will play their first Pool B game against Uzbekistan in the same venue.
In addition, there is one more advantage associated with the Asian Games. Gold medalists will be eligible for taking part in the 2028 Olympics. This must definitely be on the minds of both the men’s team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, and the women’s team, led by Salima Tete.
The Indian men’s team failed to reach the semi-finals in the recent World Cup. Their performance was disappointing, finishing eighth. Now, they are trying to address the shortcomings of that campaign at the Asian Games, a point emphasized by coach Craig Fulton. The Indian men’s team has won the gold medal four times at this continental tournament: in 1966, 1998, 2014, and 2022. They have also won two consecutive Olympic bronze medals. The team will have a golden opportunity to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics by performing strongly at the Asian Games.
The Indian men’s team has been placed in Pool A along with Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They will face stiff competition from teams like four-time gold medalists South Korea and 2018 champions Japan. The Indian women’s team will look to build on their good performance at the 2026 World Cup, where they failed to reach the semifinals but finished fifth, their best performance in 52 years.
