India to contest fifth-place match after 0-0 draw with Australia in Amstelveen

India were eliminated from the semi-finals of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 in Amstelveen on Sunday after a 0-0 draw with Australia and will now play in the classification match for fifth place.

India entered the final Pool E fixture knowing a win would send them into the semi-finals but a draw allowed Australia to qualify instead; India finished third in Pool E in Round 2. Earlier in the tournament India had drawn with China in the first round and lost 2-0 to the Netherlands, and the campaign still offered several positive takeaways. Aniruddh Seshadri Iyer is a passionate sports journalist at Khel Now, specializing in tennis and Olympic sports. An engineer by training, he found his storytelling passion through iconic Grand Slam and Olympic moments.

Australia dominated much of the match’s opening two quarters, and India’s best chance fell to Nikki, who missed a straightforward tap-in from a penalty corner. India’s defence kept the score level throughout, but the attack and midfield were unable to find a breakthrough, leaving the game scoreless at full time. The 0-0 draw confirmed India’s elimination from the semi-final race.

Attention now turns to Pool F, where all teams have played two matches each and Belgium sit second with 4 points. Belgium face table-toppers Argentina in their final Pool F fixture while Spain play fourth-placed Germany in theirs. If Belgium lose and Spain win, the team advancing from Pool F could be decided by goal difference and, if tied, by goals scored, the same tie-break sequence that applied to India and Australia.

India will contest a fifth-place match on the overall points table and will face the side that finishes third in Pool F; that opponent will be either Spain or Belgium depending on the Pool F results. This classification fixture is India’s remaining match at the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 and will determine their final tournament placing.