India women look to make home advantage count at FIH Hockey WC Qualifiers

India women’s hockey team will look to make home advantage count at the Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, which starts at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Ground in Hyderabad on Sunday.

The Hyderabad meet is one of two qualifying tournaments for the Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, alongside another event in Santiago, Chile. Eight teams will compete in each tournament.

India, England, Scotland, the Republic of Korea, Italy, Uruguay, Wales and Austria are the eight teams competing for Women’s Hockey World Cup qualification spots in Hyderabad.

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The teams have been divided into two groups of four. India are placed in Pool B alongside Scotland, Uruguay and Wales.

After a round-robin stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. There will also be a third-place playoff match.

The teams finishing first, second and third in both Hyderabad and Santiago will earn direct qualification for the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30.

The best-ranked team to finish fourth across both tournaments will also qualify for the global hockey showpiece.

Salima to lead India

Salima Tete had been selected as the captain for the Indian women’s hockey team for the Hyderabad World Cup Qualifiers.

Salima Tete named captain of Indian team for FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

India have named an experienced 20-member squad for the tournament, which also features Bichu Devi Kharibam, Sushila Chanu, Nikki Pradhan, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Beauty Dungdung.

Former captain and Olympian Savita Punia is unavailable due to personal reasons, while drag-flicker Deepika is also set to miss the tournament as she continues to recover from injury.

India have qualified for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup eight times in the past with their best performance – fourth – coming in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1974. They finished ninth in the 2022 Women’s Hockey World Cup in Spain.

Groups: Pool A: England, South Korea, Italy, Austria

Pool B: India, Scotland, Uruguay, Wales

India squad: Goalkeepers: Bansari Solanki, Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders: Sushila Chanu, Nikki Pradhan, Manisha Chauhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary

Midfielders: Neha, Salima Tete, Sunelita Toppo, Sakshi Rana, Vaishnavi Phalke, Rutuja Pisal, Deepika Soreng

Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Ishika, Lalremsiami, Beauty Dungdung, Baljeet Kaur, Annu.