Asian Games 2026: India coach Craig Fulton confident ahead of semi-final with South Korea
India coach Craig Fulton is reported to be confident as his side prepares to face South Korea in the women's hockey semi-final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on September 30 in Kakamigahara, Japan. The match is scheduled for Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Kakamigahara and will decide a place in the final of the tournament.
India topped Pool B with five wins from five matches, recording 19-0 against Uzbekistan, 17-1 versus Indonesia, 20-1 over Thailand, a 3-1 victory against hosts Japan, and a 7-0 win over Singapore to conclude the group stage. South Korea finished second in Pool A with four wins from five matches, their only defeat a 0-3 loss to China and their largest win an 8-0 result against Bangladesh. Both teams have had a two-day break after the pool stage ahead of the semi-final.
India's attack has been prolific throughout the pool stage, with Deepika leading the tournament with 21 goals from five matches and Navneet Kaur second on 10 goals, including seven from field play; Navneet has also been used as another option during penalty-corner situations while Deepika combines drag-flicking duties with a forward role. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has scored seven goals, Lalremsiami six and Ishika five, providing a range of scoring options for India.
Between the posts India has relied on experienced custodians Savita and Bichu Devi, whose performances are described as providing leadership and dependable presence. South Korea will look to midfield contributor Seungae Park for attacking impetus, with Park having already scored eight goals in the tournament.
“For us, training is the way to stay in rhythm…Everybody knows what is expected from them,” said the team’s chief coach, Sjoerd Marijne. “We have played opponents against whom the challenge was not that big, except Japan. Now it’s a big challenge in the semi-finals of the Asian Games, and we are looking forward to playing against South Korea.”
The weather in Gifu has been overcast for the past 2-3 days, and strong spells of rain caused the men's match between Pakistan and Oman on Monday to be suspended for 15-20 minutes; the forecast for Wednesday is of sunny weather. Organisers and teams will monitor conditions ahead of the evening semi-final.
India are two victories away from claiming their second Asian Games women's hockey gold, their only previous title coming in 1982, and the Indian women's team have won seven continental medals in total — 1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze. The semi-final against South Korea begins at 7 pm local time (3:30 pm IST) on Wednesday at Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan.