Indian women’s hockey star Savita Punia said Team India has received a massive boost ahead of the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup after winning the FIH Nations Cup, adding that the level of competitiveness in that tournament showed them they can match the very best in the world.
The FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup will take place from August 14 to 30 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Indian women’s team is a part of Pool D with China, England and South Africa and will start against China on August 16 at Amstelveen. India’s best finish was fourth in the 1974 edition, and in the last two editions, they finished eighth and ninth, respectively, in 2018 and 2022. India registered a phenomenal title win at the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2025-26 in Auckland, defeating the hosts 2-0 in a thrilling final back in June.
They have won both editions of the Nations Cup held so far. Because all the top teams were there, speaking on JioStar about India’s recent Nations’ Cup win, she said, “Winning the FIH Nations Cup was a big achievement. Because this is my third World Cup, “Playing in the World Cup means a lot to me.
It was a competitive tournament, and coming out on top gave us a huge boost and winning a gold medal after a long time has lifted the team’s morale and belief. “In recent years, during the FIH Pro League, we have played close matches against top sides like Argentina, the Netherlands, and Germany. Those games showed us that we can match the best teams in the world. I can confidently say that, about this Indian women’s hockey team, while all the teams are world-class, there is no team we cannot compete with. We have the skill, the fitness, and the mindset to challenge anyone on our day,” he added. For any hockey player, the World Cup and the Olympics are the two biggest stages. Every athlete dreams of representing their country on those platforms. To be part of a third consecutive World Cup is a huge achievement. I have worked extremely hard to get here, and in every edition, I have tried to give my best for the team. This time, I have more experience, and that gives me confidence. “Her speed is a big strength for us, especially when she charges out as the first runner during penalty corner defence. She reads the game well and puts pressure on the opposition early. As senior players, we support her in keeping the team united and focused. She respects the senior players, seeks advice when needed, and maintains a strong connection with the team.
As a senior player, I want to lead by example, stay calm under pressure, and help the team perform at its best,” he said. Along with vice-captain Navneet Kaur, she helps lead the group forward and ensures everyone stays on the same page,” she said.
What It Means
Earlier reporting noted: Hockey World Cup 2026: India have form and talent, but set-piece overdependence may cost them in tough path to the final India’s men and women begin their FIH Hockey World Cup campaigns this weekend at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. But, with both units showing great promise and improvement in the last eighteen months, 2026 may yet reshape that narrative and bring an end to that drought. Earlier reporting noted: India’s men have not stood on a World Cup podium since they won the whole thing in 1975. That is fifty-one years of trying, and mostly failing — since 2000, their best World Cup finish is sixth, back in 2018. The infamous 2023 edition, played on home turf in Odisha with every possible advantage, ended in a ninth-place finish that got coach Graham Reid the sack.
India have won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris under Craig Fulton, who has quietly rebuilt the side’s tactical identity. Both teams have been drawn into Pool D of their respective draw, and, catastrophe forbidding, should make it out of the first stage. The bigger question is what happens next; not since the 1970s have the Indian teams finished in the top four. The team that used to attack in waves and leak goals now defends in a compact, disciplined block and looks to hurt teams on the counter-attack — the same approach that got them through the Paris Olympics playing over an hour with ten men after a red card, and still winning on a shootout. It is a less glamorous way to play, but it has been effective.
Savita also said that playing in her third World Cup means a lot and as a senior player, she wants to “lead by example, stay calm under pressure and help the team perform at its best.
Earlier reporting noted: This time feels different, and it has nothing to do with sentiment.
