India beat Germany 3-1 on Wednesday evening to finish fifth in the FIH Women's World Cup 2026. It was a highly encouraging tournament for Sjoerd Marijne's team, ending it with their best win of the tournament, against a side led by former India head coach Janneke Schopman.
After the men were condemned to the 7th-8th place playoff, we had written on these pages that Craig Fulton's side are where they belong, and it's not pretty.
For this Indian women's team, the challenge now is to prove that this is where they belong, because in their context, this is pretty. This was India's best-ever finish at the Women's World Cup since finishing fourth in 1974. In the 52 years since, India hadn't finished higher than seventh. So that is a tangible marker of their progress, and it happened in a short time -- it's only been six months since Marijne has come back into the job.
Remember, this is a team that didn't qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024, a team that was relegated from the FIH Pro League. When Harendra Singh left his job last year, competing against the best teams in the world seemed a far-fetched dream. To see India compete the way they have at this World Cup would've been beyond the wildest of their fans' dreams back then.
But Marijne's team have shown that they weren't at this World Cup to make up the numbers. And it was all built on the bedrock of a strong defensive unit.
In six games at this World Cup, India only conceded six goals. That is half the story. The other half is that they only scored 11, six of which came in one game. Against England, the Netherlands and Australia, India didn't score a goal, and even though draws against England and Australia, and even the 2-0 loss to the Dutch, were creditable results, they gave Marijne a glimpse of the direction in which this side needs to evolve if they are to truly be considered a force in women's hockey.
Why were India so good defensively?
The team looked a well-drilled unit under Marijne's 3-4-3. It is an adventurous system, but it got the best out of the players he had at his disposal. Shilpi Dabas and Sushila Chanu were solid at the heart of that 3-4-3, and in front of them, the likes of Neha Goyal, Nikki Pradhan and Sakshi Rana protected them well.
Marijne made some big calls in his squad. Experienced defender Udita Duhan, for example, was not picked for this tournament. She was part of the squad for the World Cup qualifiers, but Marijne went with Shilpi, and her performances vindicated that call. The 28-year-old only made her international debut this year and has already made herself a vital cog in a smoothly functioning Indian defence.
And then there's the last line of the Indian defence -- the goalkeepers. Savita Punia once again showed why she's perhaps India's greatest female goalkeeper. And Bichu Devi has shown at this tournament why she can be a worthy successor to Savita. It's to Bichu's greatest credit that in all of India's games she played two quarters and Savita two. And when Savita wasn't on the field, not once did it look like India were missing her.
India kept the rampaging Dutch machine -- by far the best team in the world -- down to just two goals, and picked up two clean sheets along the way.
What are the issues in attack?
It would be unfair to begin an analysis into India's attack without mentioning the injury to Sangita Kumari, perhaps the most natural finisher of chances in the setup at the moment. That was a blow, but of course, it can't be an excuse at a World Cup -- these things happen in elite sport.
So, what can Marijne tangibly work on? It's something he's mentioned loads of times in his interviews throughout this tournament. India often lose control because they don't take enough care of possession, and that leads to them having to defend for long stretches of games. That, in turn, means lesser chances to attack and lesser chances to score. In that scenario, there's a lot of pressure on the attackers to be extremely efficient in the circle and not snatch at the chances they get.
Snatch, India did. In that crunch game against Australia, which knocked India out of semifinal contention, Marijne's side had the two best chances of the game, but Nikki Pradhan and Deepika Sehrawat snatched at those chances and didn't even make contact with the ball when they had the goal gaping in front of them. When you're under pressure, composure often is the first thing that deserts you, as India found out.
Before going to the World Cup, Marijne stressed on the need for India's attacking actions to be repeatable -- be it their passing, their positioning in the circle, or their finishing. It was a bit haphazard all tournament, and that shows on the stats sheets. Only two Indians scored multiple goals at this tournament -- Navneet Kaur with four and Deepika with two. Five others scored a goal each, and two of the forwards in the squad -- Rutuja Pisal, Beauty Dungdung -- didn't score even one. Beauty, in fact, barely had game time, even though she made the bench for five out of six games.
What's next for this team?
It's a big one again -- the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya next month. India will want that automatic spot at the Los Angeles Olympics. After missing out on Paris, India will hope to get back to that Olympic stage at the first time of asking.
India finished as the highest-ranked Asian team at this World Cup, but that doesn't guarantee anything next month. They cannot rest on their laurels. They were beaten 4-0 by China in the semifinals of the last Asian Games but drew 2-2 against them at this tournament -- again, a sign of progress.
China will once again be the biggest obstacle in Japan next month, and if Marijne finds a way to supplement this miserly defence he has built with a consistent source of goals, then more good days are coming for the Indian women's team.