The Indian women’s hockey team is set to kick off its Women’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Thailand on September 5 in Hangzhou, China.
The squad, placed in Pool B, will compete against defending champions Japan and Singapore in the group stage.
India’s second match will be against Japan on September 6, followed by its final Pool B contest against Singapore on September 8. Captain Salima Tete emphasised the importance of early tough matchups, stating that facing Japan will be a valuable opportunity to test their skills before the knockout rounds.
The tournament will run from September 5 to 14, with the winner earning a direct qualification to the 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup. Vice-captain Navneet Kaur noted that the team has been training intensely to face Asia’s best teams and aims to make this campaign a memorable one.
India previously won the Asia Cup in 2017, defeating China in the final. This year’s format will see the top two teams from each pool advance to the Super 4s, competing for spots in the final. The teams finishing at the bottom of their groups will play classification matches to determine their overall standings.
