New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Placed in four-team Pool B, India face Uruguay on March 8 in their opening match of the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup qualifiers in Hyderabad.
The hosts then play Scotland on March 9 and Wales on March 11 in their remaining pool matches.
England, Korea, Italy and Austria form Pool B..
The semifinals will be played on March 13 while the third-place playoff and the final will be held on March 14.
The other qualifying tournament will be held in Santiago, Chile, from February 28 to March 8, with Australia, Japan, Ireland, Chile, France, Canada, Malaysia and Switzerland competing in it.
The top three teams each from the qualifiers in Hyderabad and Santiago will book the tickets for the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands in August.
The highest world-ranked team out of the two finishing in fourth place in Hyderabad and Santiago will be the seventh side to qualify for the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup.
These seven teams will join nine others which have already qualified for the global showpiece.
India had failed to book direct qualification for the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup at the Asia Cup in 2025, losing to China in the final. China made the direct qualification after winning the Asia Cup, needing India to play in the March 8-14 qualifiers in Hyderabad for a shot in the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup.
The corresponding men’s qualifiers for the 2026 FIH World Cup will also be held in two venues..
France, Ireland, Korea, Wales, Scotland, Canada, Poland and Chile will compete in Santiago from February 28 to March 8, while England, Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, Japan, Austria, China and USA will play in Ismailia, Egypt, from March 1 to 7 for seven berths together in the two qualifiers..
The Indian men’s team has already booked its berth in the 2026 FIH World Cup by virtue of winning the 2025 Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar. PTI PDS PDS KHS
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