India women’s team qualifies for Hockey World Cup despite runners-up finish in qualifiers | Hockey News – The Times of India
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India women’s team qualifies for Hockey World Cup despite runners-up finish in qualifiers | Hockey News – The Times of India


India women’s team qualifies for Hockey World Cup despite runners-up finish in qualifiers | Hockey News – The Times of India
India women’s hockey team (Photo by @TheHockeyIndia)

NEW DELHI: India’s women’s hockey team finished runners-up in the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers after losing 0–2 to England on Saturday. Despite the defeat, India still secured qualification for this year’s Women’s Hockey World Cup. England, ranked sixth in the world, showed their quality by scoring once in the first quarter and again in the third.India actually started the match strongly and created an early opportunity when Navneet Kaur won a penalty corner within the first two minutes. However, the attempt was saved by the England goalkeeper. The Indian side continued to push forward in the opening half and managed several circle penetrations, but they were unable to seriously trouble the opposition goalkeeper.England gradually settled into the game and took the lead in the 13th minute through Grace Balsdon, who successfully converted a penalty corner with a drag-flick. India kept trying to break through the English defence, but England stayed disciplined and organised at the back, maintaining their one-goal lead going into halftime.With the advantage, England controlled possession in the second half and dictated the pace of the match. Their second goal came in the 43rd minute when Elizabeth Neal struck from open play. Her shot took a deflection off an Indian defender before going past goalkeeper Bichu Devi, doubling England’s lead.India kept attacking in the final quarter and even earned a late penalty corner, but they were unable to convert it. England remained confident and avoided sitting back defensively, preventing India from mounting a comeback.Along with champion England and runner-up India, Scotland also qualified for the World Cup after defeating Italy 1–0. The upcoming Women’s Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14 to 30 alongside the men’s tournament.

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‘We have very little time’: Pakistan hockey captain urges Army Chief Asim Munir to intervene amid huge crisis
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‘We have very little time’: Pakistan hockey captain urges Army Chief Asim Munir to intervene amid huge crisis


Pakistan hockey captain Ammad Butt has appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir over mismanagement by the Pakistan Hockey Federation during the Australia tour. He cited mental strain on players, and urgent need for government intervention ahead of World Cup qualifiers.

Pakistan’s hockey captain, Shakeel Ammad Butt, has made a strong appeal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir over the “serious mismanagement” faced by the team during their tour of Australia.

Speaking to the media, Butt said the players were left “mentally drained” and “helpless” due to poor arrangements by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and the team management in Australia during the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025-26.

“We cannot work with this management. They have made us mentally ill. How can we perform for Pakistan? When we qualified for the Pro Hockey League, I helped the team with the Pakistan Hockey Federation. It is a great achievement for Pakistan to qualify for the Pro Hockey League after 7 years. When we came back from Argentina, things started getting worse instead of getting better,” Butt said.

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He described the tour of Australia as a nightmare. “When I talk about the tour of Australia, I will start with the flight and hoteling. The flight that took us to Sydney, took us more than 12-14 hours. We were roaming around like abandoned people. No one cared about our team. There was no hoteling. We were not given food on time,” he added.

Butt also admitted that he had lied in a video during the tour to avoid embarrassment for Pakistan. “The management told us that the news and videos had reached India. I made a video saying everything was fine, but the reality was completely different. Everything reported was true,” he said.

“I am talking about the team management. Tahir Zaman, Sheikh Usman, Nadeem Khan Lodhi, Dishan Ashraf and Aslam. I am not afraid of anything. They have separated the players and asked each player whether he is with the Pakistan Hockey Federation or Ammad Butt. I am ready to testify about this.”

Butt urges Pakistan Army Chief to intervene 

Butt said Pakistan needs urgent intervention from the top and proper management. “The World Cup qualifying round is a very important round for the Pakistan Hockey Federation and the Pakistan players. I think that the government of Pakistan should take action on this as soon as possible. We have very little time. We cannot work with this management. My team is with me. It is a very important round. We have to qualify for the World Cup. I request the Prime Minister and the Army Chief to take notice of this as soon as possible.,” he said.

Following Butt’s statements, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into the alleged mismanagement.

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