FIH Hockey WC: Women’s teams’ semis dreams hinge on luck and a must-win game against Australia

Amstelveen:The Indian women’s hockey team faces a must-win battle against Australia in their decisive fixture at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 on Sunday, with the second semifinal spot from Pool E still up for grabs.

Both teams are on one point, and a victory will put the winner in the strongest position to progress. However, the final permutations will also depend on the result in the match between the Netherlands and China earlier on Sunday.

Hosts and defending champions the Netherlands have already booked their place in the semifinals after beating India 2-0 on Friday. The Dutch, who carried three points forward from the first stage, added another three with their win, moving to six points. China, meanwhile, sit on two points after their draw against Australia, having also carried one point forward from the opening stage.

The equation will become clearer after the Netherlands take on China at 7:30 pm IST on Sunday, with India’s clash against Australia scheduled for 10:30 pm IST. For India, the immediate task is straightforward: produce a winning performance against the Hockeyroos to give themselves the best chance. But if China upset the hosts to avenge their defeat in the 2024 Paris Olympics final, they will move to five points, ending the hopes for both India and Australia. However, if that match ends in a draw or a defeat for China, India will then need an outright win over Australia to progress and create history.

“We see it as a quarterfinal,” said India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne. “It’s always very close (against Australia), and that’s how I think the match on Sunday will be. There will not be many secrets because we play many times against each other. It’s a must-win game for both sides, and that’s something which makes it a big challenge for us.”

The two sides had a good look at each other during the four-match series just before the FIH Nations Cup earlier this year, with the closely fought contests resulting in the series ending in a 2-2 draw. It highlights how evenly matched the teams are in a face-off.

Going into the big game against Australia, India will take confidence from their showing against the formidable Dutch side. Despite conceding an early goal, the Indian defence remained composed and disciplined, frustrating the hosts for long periods and ensuring they did not concede a field goal. The defensive unit has been one of India’s biggest strengths throughout the tournament, with legendary goalkeeper Savita and Bichu Devi providing an assured presence between the posts.

Against Australia, that defensive solidity will again be crucial, but India will also need greater efficiency in the attacking third. The team has created opportunities through both open play and penalty corners. It’s now down to converting those chances into goals, which could prove decisive in a game where margins are likely to be fine.

“Against big teams, if you get three opportunities, you have to convert one or two. That’s something we keep working on,” Marijne added. “It’s the same with penalty corners. At the moment we are not scoring off a lot of penalty corners…and we know that. But we have the quality, and I have confidence in Navneet (Kaur) and Deepika. They both have shown that they can do it, and hopefully they can do it against Australia.”

After a tournament in which the Indian defence has repeatedly stood firm, the challenge now is to combine that resilience with the cutting edge needed inside the circle. With the Netherlands vs China result hopefully setting the stage, India’s World Cup hopes will ultimately come down to how they handle this high-stakes battle against Australia.

IANS