Indian Women’s Hockey Team Eyes Asian Games Gold, LA 2028 Olympic Berth

Fresh from a historic fifth-place finish at the World Cup, the Indian women’s hockey team on Tuesday departed for the Asian Games in Japan with a clear objective win gold and secure direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Led by captain Salima Tete and coached by Sjoerd Marijne, India produced its best World Cup finish since the tournament’s inaugural edition in 1974. The team will now look to carry that momentum into the Asian Games, where the gold medal could also bring an Olympic quota.

Under the LA 2028 qualification system, the highest-placed eligible team in the women’s hockey competition at the Asian Games will earn a direct Olympic berth, provided it has not already qualified through another route.

“We are going into the Asian Games with a lot of confidence, but we also know that every tournament brings a new challenge,” Tete said. She added that the Nations Cup and World Cup had given the team belief and that India’s goal was to “fight for the gold medal and earn direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics”.

India have been placed in Pool B alongside Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Uzbekistan. They open their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 20, followed by matches against Indonesia on September 21, Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27. The knockout stage begins on September 30, with the gold-medal match on October 2.

The 20-member squad combines experienced campaigners such as Savita, Navneet Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Lalremsiami and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam with promising youngsters.

India’s resurgence under Marijne has been striking since he returned to the set-up earlier this year and was formally appointed chief coach in January. India won the Nations Cup in Auckland, defeating hosts New Zealand 2-0 in the final, and earned promotion to the Women’s Pro League.

At the World Cup, India lost only once, held higher-ranked China, England and Australia to draws, defeated South Africa 6-1 and ended their campaign with a 3-1 victory over world No. 5 Germany.

With confidence high and qualification within reach, India will enter the Asian Games aiming to turn an impressive 2026 campaign into gold and an Olympic ticket.