While the men’s team managed to turn things around with their first Asia Cup triumph in over ten years, the women’s team’s decline was the most concerning aspect of India’s hockey revival’s 2025 setbacks.
In addition to ending an eight-year title drought, the Asia Cup victory in Rajgir, Bihar, was perhaps the most significant event for Indian hockey in 2025. It also guaranteed their spot in the FIH World Cup, which would be jointly hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14 to August 30 of the following year.
India was able to reinforce their dominance on the continent with the victory in September, which was their fourth overall. The team has made significant progress, as evidenced by the 15 goals scored and just two goals given in the final three games of the competition.
With strong performances from Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and Amit Rohidas among others, the Indians defeated South Korea, the reigning champions, 4-1 in the summit match. This came after an absolutely terrifying run at the FIH Pro League earlier in the year.
The bronze medallists from the Paris Olympics narrowly avoided relegation from the top competition by finishing eighth out of nine teams.
The team led by Harmanpreet Singh performed well in the home leg, winning five games in Bhubaneswar, but lost seven straight games in the European leg to finish in penultimate place.
The way a second-string squad won a silver medal at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was another positive indication for the men’s team.
Five-time winners India fell 0-1 to World No. 3 Belgium in the final of their six-year return to the competition, but what really struck out was the competitive depth under a new captain in defender Sanjay, even while seniors like Harmanpreet Singh and Manpreet Singh enjoyed a well-earned rest.
In addition, the junior men’s team showed courage by overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat Argentina 4-2 and win bronze in this month’s World Cup in Chennai.
In addition to ensuring a successful year-end, their first World Cup medal since 2016 at the age group showpiece offered promise for the future with the Asian Games scheduled for next year.
A gold medal in Japan would guarantee a spot in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where India would want to complete a hat-trick of medals—ideally in a more vibrant color than the bronze from the previous two competitions.
The women, on the other hand, struggled throughout the year, failing to record any noteworthy performance and carrying on a downward trajectory that began with their failure to qualify for the Olympics in Paris the previous year.
The squad was demoted to the FIH Nations Cup, a second-tier competition, after finishing last in the Pro League with just two wins and eleven losses, including the final eight straight.
The team will only be promoted to the 2026–2027 FIH Pro League if they win this competition. To make matters worse, the Indian women finished second in the Asia Cup in September after losing 1-4 to China, which prevented them from securing a direct spot in the World Cup the following year.
The team was in disarray near the end of the season when Harendra Singh, the head coach, was forced to step down due to accusations that his methods were “outdated and dictatorial”. The national federation, however, insisted that it was more related to the absence of outcomes.
The team finished 10th in the World Cup in Santiago earlier this month, thus the juniors were also affected by the downward trend.
It appears that the team management and the national federation would need to undertake some introspection in order to change their direction.
After finishing fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women’s team showed great promise, but they have since crumbled into an apparently aimless group.
A member of the coaching staff was accused of sexual misconduct, but the national federation ultimately cleared him, putting the younger team under scrutiny as well.
Veteran hockey player Vandana Katariya announced her retirement from international hockey in December, capping an incredible career and contributing to the team’s lack of talent depth.
