Auckland: India were crowned champions of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2025-26 after defeating hosts New Zealand 2-0 in a commanding final on Sunday, securing their second title and earning promotion to next season’s FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League.
Goals from Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo, coupled with a disciplined defensive display, guided India to a memorable victory.
Early goals put India in control
India made a bright start despite New Zealand enjoying more possession in the opening exchanges.
The breakthrough came in the fourth minute when India earned a penalty corner and Navneet Kaur converted with a powerful strike to give her side an early lead.
India continued to press forward and doubled their advantage in the 15th minute. During the team’s fifth penalty corner of the opening quarter, Sunelita Toppo deftly redirected an effort from striker Deepika to make it 2-0.
The early goals allowed India to dictate the pace of the game and put the hosts under pressure.
Strong defensive display seals victory
New Zealand attempted to mount a comeback in the second quarter and enjoyed better control of possession, but India’s organised defensive structure denied them clear opportunities.
The score remained unchanged at half-time despite chances at both ends.
India’s defensive resilience was again on display in the third quarter as they effectively neutralised the hosts’ attacking moves and forced several errors through aggressive pressing.
Navneet nearly added a second goal but was denied by the New Zealand goalkeeper.
The hosts earned an early penalty corner in the final quarter, but veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia made a crucial save to preserve India’s two-goal advantage.
India maintained their composure in the closing stages to secure a well-deserved 2-0 victory.
Unbeaten campaign for India
The triumph marked India’s second Women’s Nations Cup title after winning the inaugural edition in 2022.
The Indian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
They registered victories over the United States (3-2), Japan (2-1) and Uruguay (3-2) during the group stage before thrashing Chile 6-0 in the semi-final.
Their dominant run culminated in the title-winning performance against New Zealand.
Lalremsiami and Deepika earn individual honours
Forward Lalremsiami was named the Player of the Match for her performance in the final.
Meanwhile, Deepika finished as the tournament’s joint highest scorer with six goals, sharing the honour with United States forward Ashley Sessa.
Hockey India announces cash rewards
To celebrate the achievement, Hockey India announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh for each player and ₹1.5 lakh for every member of the support staff.
In a statement, the federation said the rewards recognised the team’s exceptional achievement and their efforts in bringing glory to the nation.
The victory not only underlines India’s growing stature in women’s hockey but also secures their return to the elite FIH Hockey Women’s Pro League for the upcoming season.