The Indian men’s hockey team will take on Argentina in a crucial Pool E encounter at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 on Monday, with their semi-final hopes hanging in the balance. The match is a do-or-die clash for the Indian men’s side where even a victory might not be enough.
India currently sit bottom of Pool E with zero points after defeats to England and the Netherlands. Argentina and England both have three points, while hosts and world No. 1 Netherlands lead the group with six. Under the tournament’s second-round format, only the top two teams from Pool E will advance to the semi-finals.
Can India still qualify for semi-finals?
India will need a strong victory over Argentina and favourable results from the other Pool E fixture between the Netherlands and England to keep their campaign alive. The Indian players should defeat the opponents by at least three goals as they currently have a goal difference of -4.
Scoring three goals would make it -1, but this is still not enough. The team will be dependent on England vs Netherlands results. They will need the Dutch side to beat the English team in Pool E by at least two goals for India to move above both teams. England are currently second with three points and a goal difference of zero.
If England beats the Netherlands, they will qualify after having six points from two matches. On the other hand, if the Netherlands beat England, they will have nine points while the English side will be left with three. If the two play a draw while India beats Argentina, England will still qualify, having four points.
Hence, winning against Argentina by a big margin and hoping England loses to the Netherlands by a sufficient margin should do it. It will be crucial because if India, Argentina and England finish level on three points, goal difference could determine the outcome.
When and where to watch India vs Argentina FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup?
The match between India and Argentina is scheduled for 6:15 pm IST at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports Select 2, JioHotstar, Khel, and DD Sports.
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