India to meet Netherlands and Australia in FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 second round
India sealed a place in the second round of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 after holding England to a 0-0 draw at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on Thursday. The result ensured India progressed from the opening stage and left them unbeaten after three matches.
Sjoerd Marijne’s side began the tournament with a 2-2 draw against reigning Olympic silver medalists China, recorded their biggest-ever World Cup win with a 6-1 victory over South Africa and then held higher-ranked England to a goalless draw. Salima Tete leads the Indian team through this phase of the competition.
India have been drawn into Pool E for Round 2 alongside China and the two qualifiers from Pool A — Netherlands and Australia. The result against China will be carried forward, so India and China start Pool E with one point and a goal difference of 0. Defending champions Netherlands, who are also the reigning Olympic champions, begin Pool E with three points and a goal difference of +2, while Australia start with zero points and a goal difference of -2.
Netherlands finished Pool A with a perfect record, defeating Chile 2-0, Australia 4-2 and Japan 9-0. Australia opened Pool A with a 2-0 win over Japan and concluded the pool phase with a 4-4 draw against Chile. Those Pool A results determined the two teams joining India and China in Pool E.
Salima Tete’s India will face the Netherlands on Friday and Australia on Sunday in Pool E. As things stand, India are third in the group after a match. India’s second-round fixture against the Netherlands is scheduled for August 21 (Friday) with a 9:30 pm IST start time.
The report included the following tweet: "ROUND 2. THE ROAD TO THE SEMIFINALS ENTERS HOME STRETCH! 🇮🇳🔥The Indian Women’s Team is ready to take on the Netherlands and Australia in Pool E as the battle intensifies at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. 🏑🏆#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HWC2026 pic.twitter.com/S30WaR5MHF". The message reiterated the team’s Round 2 opponents and used the hashtags #HockeyIndia, #IndiaKaGame and #HWC2026.
The coverage noted that Netherlands are pursuing a fourth straight title and described beating them as "a herculean task", added that even a draw would be "a stunning result", and labelled the match against Australia as "a must-win". It also observed that few had expected the World Number #9 Indian side to reach this stage and that a semi-final spot "does loom in the distance".
India must finish in the top two of Pool E to advance to the semi-finals, and their next confirmed fixture is against the Netherlands on August 21 (Friday) at 9:30 pm IST.
