English 
India Face Italy In Qualifiers Semi-Final
The India women’s national field hockey team will take on Italy women’s national field hockey team in the semi-final of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Qualifiers 2026 after sealing their place in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026.
The hosts finished top of Pool B with seven points from three matches, registering two wins and one draw during the group stage. India began their campaign with a dominant 4–0 win over Uruguay, followed by a 2–2 draw against Scotland, and concluded the pool stage with a 4–1 victory over Wales.
With these results, India confirmed their World Cup qualification under the tournament rule that awards a berth to the highest world-ranked fourth-placed team across the two qualifying events. Earlier, the Santiago leg of the qualifiers saw Chile, Australia and Ireland secure direct qualification.
Now assured of a place in the global tournament, the Indian side has shifted its focus to winning the qualifiers title as it prepares for the semi-final clash against Italy in front of a home crowd.
Forward Navneet Kaur has been one of India’s standout performers in the tournament and is currently joint top scorer with four goals. She delivered an impressive performance in the final pool match against Wales, scoring a hat-trick.
Italy will look to counter India’s attack with striker Federica Carta, who has scored three goals in the competition so far.
Historically, India holds the edge in head-to-head encounters between the two teams. Since 2012, the sides have met seven times, with India winning five matches, Italy winning one, and one match ending in a draw.
Head coach Sjoerd Marijne said the team is determined to go beyond qualification and aim for the title. He added that while qualifying for the World Cup is an important milestone, the team’s focus now is on maintaining momentum and delivering strong performances in the knockout stage.
The semi-final between India and Italy will be played on March 13 at 7:30 PM IST in Hyderabad, with matches being broadcast on Star Sports Khel and streamed on JioHotstar.
