More than five decades after finishing just outside the medals in the inaugural edition, India are gearing up to drop a medal-winning performance in the 2026 FIH Women's Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is going to be India's ninth appearance in the competition.
India's underwhelming record in FIH World Cup
India first appeared in the World Cup in 1974, where the nation finished at the fourth place, with the Women in Blue missed multiple editions because of qualification setbacks as well as financial challenges.
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The Women's Hockey World Cup has been dominated by a small group of nations, with only four teams managing to lift the title so far. The Netherlands sit at the top with nine World titles, while Argentina, Australia and Germany have each won the tournament twice. Meanwhile, India managed to finish ninth in the last edition in 2022. With another World Cup approaching, it is worth looking back at how the Indian women's team has performed across its previous appearances on the global stage.
India Women's team's performance in World Cups
India's Women's team has endured a mix of memorable performance and series of disappointment. Their best campaign came in the inaugural 1974 edition, where Ajnder Kaur's edition managed to reach the semifinals before finishing fourth. However, financial challenges and qualification setbacks saw India miss a number of editions over the following decades.
India struggled to create a significant impact after coming back to the tournament, finishing 11th in 1983 and 2006 and bottom of the table in 1998. They saw their fortunes improve in 2018 when Rani Rampal led the side to the quarterfinals, where they suffered a penalty shootout loss to Ireland.
India then finished ninth under Savita Punia in 2022. With Salima Tete leading the team in 2026, India will be hoping to create history in the upcoming edition.