The Indian Women’s Hockey Team has made a triumphant return to the FIH Hockey Pro League after being crowned champions of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2025–26 with a 2-0 victory over hosts New Zealand in the final.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team on the achievement.
“Indian hockey players bring pride and joy! Congratulations to the women’s team for emerging as winners in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup. The team played exceptionally well throughout the entire tournament. Best wishes to the team. May this win inspire several others to play hockey.”
Played at the North Harbour National Hockey Centre in Auckland on Sunday, India produced a dominant and disciplined performance to complete an unbeaten campaign and lift their second Nations Cup trophy.
Navneet Kaur gave India an early advantage, converting a penalty corner in the fourth minute with a powerful strike. Sunelita Toppo doubled the lead in the 15th minute, deflecting a sharp attempt from Deepika to put India firmly in control.
The Indian defence then produced a remarkable display to hold off New Zealand’s attacks and secure a historic win.
Lalremsiami Hmarzote was named Player of the Match in the final, while Deepika finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer with six goals, sharing the honour with USA’s Ashley Sessa.
The victory marks India’s second FIH Nations Cup title after winning the inaugural edition in 2022 and also earns the team promotion back into the FIH Pro League for the 2026–27 season.
India had been relegated from the Pro League after finishing at the bottom of the 2024–25 season but bounced back in style, winning every match of their Nations Cup campaign.
The team defeated the USA 3-2, Japan 2-1 and Uruguay 3-2 in the pool stages before producing a commanding 6-0 victory over Chile in the semi-final.
In the final, New Zealand enjoyed periods of possession, but India’s defensive structure and counter-attacking intensity proved decisive.
India goalkeeper Savita Punia played a crucial role in protecting the lead, especially after New Zealand earned a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter.
To celebrate the achievement, Hockey India announced cash rewards of INR 3 lakh for each player and INR 1.5 lakh for members of the support staff.
The tournament standings saw India finish first, followed by New Zealand, USA, Chile, Korea, Japan, France and Uruguay.
The individual awards included:
- Player of the Tournament: Ashley Sessa (USA)
- Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Grace O’Hanlon (New Zealand)
- Top Scorer: Deepika (India) and Ashley Sessa (USA)
- Young Player of the Tournament: Riana Pho (New Zealand)
India’s title-winning campaign not only restored their place among the world’s elite hockey nations but also strengthened their pathway towards future international competitions, including qualification opportunities for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
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