~ India reached the semi-finals unbeaten, having topped Pool A with three wins from three matches against the USA, Japan and Uruguay ~
Auckland, 19 June 2026: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team eyes a place in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26 final when they take on Chile in the first semi-final of the tournament at the North Harbour Hockey Stadium on Saturday.
India entered the semis in excellent form after finishing at the top of Pool A with an unbeaten run. They opened their campaign with a 3-2 victory over the USA before edging Japan 2-1 in a closely-fought encounter. In their final pool match, India produced another spirited performance, coming from behind to defeat Uruguay 3-2 and register their third consecutive win in the tournament.
India’s Deepika has emerged as one of the tournament’s standout performers, entering the semi-final as the joint highest scorer with four goals. The drag-flicker struck twice against the USA and repeated the feat against Uruguay, sharing the top spot on the scoring charts with USA’s Ashley Sessa and Abigail Tamer. All four of Deepika’s goals have come from penalty corners, highlighting India’s strength in set-piece situations heading into the last-four stage.
India will also take confidence from their recent record against Chile. The head-to-head statistics are firmly in India’s favour, with the team winning five of their last six encounters, while the remaining match ended in a draw. Their most recent meeting came at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022, where India secured a convincing 3-1 win. That impressive record against Chile will provide added belief as India look to continue their unbeaten run and move one step closer to the title.
The winner of the tournament also gets promoted to next year’s FIH Pro League.
The Indian side has shown consistency throughout the tournament and demonstrated the ability to respond under pressure, recovering from deficits against both the USA and Uruguay to maintain its unbeaten record heading into the semi-finals.
Chile, meanwhile, finished second in Pool B with a win, a draw and a defeat to book their place in the semi-finals and will look to provide a stern challenge to the Indian team. The South American side has shown resilience throughout the tournament and will be aiming to upset one of the title favourites in the knockout stage.
With a place in the final at stake, India will be aiming to carry forward the momentum from the pool stage into the semis and win it to stand just one victory away from lifting the trophy.
The second semi-final will feature hosts New Zealand against the United States.
All FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2025-26 matches are being streamed live on Watch.Hockey for free.
~ The 29-year-old defender reached the landmark during India's FIH Pro League match against Germany in Rotterdam on June 18 ~ Rotterdam, 18 June 2026: Hockey India extende…
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