Hockey World Championships: Indian men’s team lose 1-3 to Netherlands to crash out of semifinal race
The Indian men's hockey team was eliminated from the FIH World Cup semifinal race after a 1-3 loss to the Netherlands. Despite a strong first half, India conceded three goals in the final quarter and will now compete in classification matches.
Why it matters
This result marks a significant exit for the Indian team from a major international tournament, impacting their global ranking and tournament standing.
The Indian men's hockey team conceded two goals in the final quarter despite a flawless first half to lose 1-3 against reigning Olympic champions the Netherlands and crash out of the semifinal race of the ongoing FIH World Cup in Amstelveen on Saturday (August 22, 2026).
India needed to win this match at all costs to reach the last four stage, but despite a good start, the team committed mistakes in the final 10 minutes to get knocked out of podium contention.
India will now play an inconsequential final second-round match against Argentina on Monday (August 24). After that, the team will play the fifth-eighth place classification matches.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored the only goal for India in the 52nd minute from a penalty corner.
Duco Telgenkamp (41st), TJep Hoedemakers (51st), and Thijs van Dam (55th) scored three field goals for the Netherlands.
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