Neha says India will win Asian Games gold after World Cup exit
Neha, a senior Indian midfielder, said in Amstelveen on August 27, 2026 that India will win the gold at next month’s Asian Games after the team narrowly crashed out of the Hockey World Cup following a goalless draw with Australia in Pool E.
India’s draw with Australia left the team third in Pool E of the second round and ended its hopes of reaching the World Cup semifinals, a result that left players distraught. Sunelita Toppo, 19, one of the youngest squad members making her maiden World Cup appearance, said she had a sleepless night and told the Hindu: “We came so close and worked so hard to come here, but we couldn’t achieve it. I know we finished the match in a draw, but our thinking was that we have to reach the semifinals.”
Neha, playing in her third World Cup, linked the disappointment to earlier near-misses in major tournaments and said the reaction inside the camp was emotional. “The same thing happened here... everyone was very sad, crying and concerned that we had come so close and missed an [opportunity to fight for a] medal. It’s very difficult, but the team is coming out of it,” she said.
Sunelita said the World Cup offered crucial lessons about performing under pressure and credited the senior players for helping her cope. “I got a lot of learning points. There is not much pressure in a normal tournament. But in the World Cup, there was a lot of pressure. They [seniors] helped me to cope with it, which I will be able to use in the future,” the midfielder said.
Neha praised the balance of the current squad, calling it “the best combination” and noting the blend of experienced and new players in the tournament. She pointed out five seniors were making a third World Cup appearance while 11 team members were tournament debutants and added: “But it didn’t feel like their first World Cup and our third World Cup. The whole team was playing equally,” the 32-year-old said.
An AFP photograph from the Australia-India match shows Alice Arnott fighting for the ball with Sunelita Toppo in the Hockey World Cup.
India will contest a classification game for fifth place against Germany on Thursday; a positive result would set the team up ahead of the Asian Games next month, where it is chasing its first gold in 48 years. “I think we will carry this team to the Asian Games. We will try to give our best. But we have to win the gold medal. No matter what happens, we will give our best. We will win the gold medal,” said Neha.