India men, women crowned Jr. Hockey Asia Cup champions, book spots for the World Cup

India completed a memorable double at the Junior Hockey Asia Cup on Sunday, with both the men’s and women’s teams lifting the continental titles and securing qualification for their respective Junior World Cups.

The women’s team started the day with a hard-fought 1-0 win over China in the final. The lone goal came in the 17th minute from Sanika Chandrakant Mane who made a smart save after finding space inside the Chinese circle.

China enjoyed plenty of possessions but struggled to break through India’s organized defences. Their biggest chance came from the game’s only penalty corner, but the effort was ruled out after the ball went over the goal. India held on in a tense second half to retain their title for the third edition in a row.

The men’s team then added to the celebrations with a commanding 4:1 victory over South Korea. Ajeet Yadav opened the scoring in the ninth minute before India added two more goals to lead 3-0 at half-time.

Ashu Maurya extended India’s lead by converting a penalty corner in the final quarter. South Korea pulled one back late on but India comfortably saw out the match to become the first team in history to win the men’s Junior Asia Cup four times in a row.

The latest triumph was India’s sixth overall in the men’s competition, following their previous titles in 2015, 2023 and 2024. They topped their group with three wins and a draw before beating Malaysia 3-1 in the semi-finals. South Korea beat Pakistan 4-1 in the second match of the last four.

Pakistan eventually secured the men’s bronze medal with a 4-2 victory over Malaysia.

Both titles also brought financial rewards. Hockey India announced Rs. 3 lakh for each player and Rs. 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff of both the men’s and women’s title-winning teams.

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Published on:

13 Sep 2026 22:00 IST