India to open FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign against China in Amstelveen on August 16
India's women's hockey team will face China in their opening match of the FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2026 at Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on August 16, scheduled to start at 4:30 pm Indian Time. India’s men won their first match of the tournament yesterday against Wales, and the women will aim for a positive start in their first outing of the competition.
India arrive at the World Cup carrying a mix of seasoned internationals and newcomers, led by captain Salima Tete who will be appearing in her second World Cup. The nation's best finish at a World Cup remains fourth place from the inaugural tournament in France in 1974. The squad lists experienced campaigners Savita, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Nikki Pradhan, Lalremsiami and Sushila among its ranks.
A notable statistic for India is that they are the only side among the 16 participating nations to include five players with 200 or more senior international caps. At the centre of that experience is goalkeeper Savita, who, with 313 senior caps, is the most-capped player among all teams competing at the Women’s World Cup and is seven appearances away from equalling Vandana Katariya’s record of 320. Savita, Neha, Nikki Pradhan, Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiami will each make their third World Cup appearance.
Sjoerd Marijne returned to the role of chief coach in January this year and has overseen an upturn in results that included winning the FIH Nations Cup 2026. That Nations Cup triumph secured India’s return to the FIH Pro League for the next season. India had previously booked their place at the World Cup by finishing runners-up at the FIH World Cup Qualifiers in Hyderabad.
India have been drawn in Pool D alongside China, England and South Africa. Their campaign opens against China on August 16, followed by South Africa on August 18, and concludes with England on August 20. The Group D match in Amstelveen on August 16 is listed as a Sunday fixture with a 4:30 pm Indian Time start.
The squad contains 11 World Cup debutants, with 18-year-old Sakshi Ranathe the youngest member and 19-year-old Sunelita Toppo another teenager in the group. Emerging names in the squad include Lalthantluangi, Baljeet Kaur, Beauty Dungdung, Deepika Soreng and Ishika. Star forward and drag-flicker Deepika arrives after finishing as one of the joint top-scorers at the FIH Nations Cup and will be among the players expected to provide an attacking edge.
Chief Coach Marijne outlined his immediate focus ahead of the tournament: “I am really looking at it match by match,” said Chief Coach Marijne. “So the focus is on China and winning that match. From there, we move forward. First objective is to finish in top two in our pool and reach the second stage.”
India's next confirmed fixtures after the China match are against South Africa on August 18 and England on August 20 in Pool D, with the top two teams from each pool progressing to the second phase of the tournament.