India women's hockey team to face NZ in Nations Cup final in Auckland, Olympics in sight

New Zealand 2 min read

India beat Chile 6-0 in the semis at Auckland's North Harbour National Hockey Centre on Saturday.

A win would earn India promotion back to the Women’s FIH Pro League for the 2026-27 season.

Awaaz June 20, 2026

Indian women’s hockey team will face hosts New Zealand in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup final in Auckland on Sunday, hoping to return to the top league that could take it to the LA 2028 Olympic.

India stormed into the final with a 6-0 win over Chile in Saturday’s semi-final at the North Harbour National Hockey Centre. New Zealand beat the United States in a penalty shootout.

The final is scheduled to start at 6:30pm on June 20, Sunday.

For India, the match is about more than lifting the Nations Cup. A win would earn India promotion back to the Women’s FIH Pro League for the 2026-27 season.

The Nations Cup itself is not a direct Olympic qualifier, but the Pro League has become one of the qualification routes for the LA 2028 Olympics, making Sunday’s final a crucial step in India’s Olympic cycle.

India had dropped into the Nations Cup after finishing at the bottom of the 2024-25 Pro League table. Victory in Auckland would immediately reverse that setback and restore them to the top-tier global league.

Saturday’s semi-final against Chile was effectively decided in the opening quarter.

Navneet Kaur gave India the lead in the sixth minute, converting a penalty corner, before scoring again from open play in the 13th minute. Deepika made it 3-0 a minute later, also from a penalty corner, as India took complete control before the end of the first quarter.

Deepika struck again in the 18th minute, converting another set piece to take her tournament tally to six goals and send India into the half-time break with a 4-0 lead.

India continued to dictate the match after half-time. Neha converted a penalty corner in the 32nd minute before Rutuja Pisal added a field goal in the 36th minute to complete the 6-0 scoreline.

Captain Salima Tete was named Player of the Match for her all-round performance, while goalkeeper Savita Punia made a couple of important saves in the final quarter to preserve India’s clean sheet.

India remain unbeaten in the tournament, having earlier beaten the United States, Japan and Uruguay in the group stage before overpowering Chile in the semi-final.

The final also sets up a major local occasion, with India facing the Black Sticks on New Zealand soil at North Harbour. New Zealand are the defending Nations Cup champions, while India won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022.

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