India secured fifth place with the 3-1 win, their best World Cup finish since finishing fourth in 1974.

India produced a superb second-half display to beat Germany 3-1 and secure fifth place at the 2026 Women’s Hockey World Cup in Amstelveen on Thursday.

The win capped India’s best World Cup campaign in more than five decades, matching their highest-ever finish since they came fourth in the inaugural 1974 edition. The fifth-place playoff was a closely contested affair in the opening half, with Germany enjoying more possession and creating greater pressure. India remained compact defensively and looked to attack on the counter, but neither side managed to break the deadlock before the interval.

Germany had opportunities through penalty corners but failed to convert them. Bichu Devi made a crucial save from an early set-piece, while another German penalty corner broke down after a poor injection. India also began creating chances towards the end of the second quarter, with Navneet Kaur and captain Salima Tete testing goalkeeper Finja Starck.

The breakthrough finally came after half-time, when India stepped up the intensity and began playing with greater attacking purpose.

ISHIKA BREAKS THE DEADLOCK

India took the lead in the 43rd minute through Ishika Chaudhary. The forward showed excellent individual skill to drive into the circle before unleashing a powerful reverse-lift that flew past Starck.

The goal gave India fresh momentum, and they quickly doubled their advantage.

India earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 44th minute. After the opportunity was re-awarded, Navneet Kaur received the ball and sent a powerful slap into the German goal to make it 2-0.

What had been a tightly fought contest suddenly turned decisively in India’s favour.

Navneet then struck again shortly after the start of the fourth quarter. Showing tremendous composure inside the circle, she went around the goalkeeper before calmly lifting the ball into the net to put India 3-0 ahead.

GERMANY PULL ONE BACK, INDIA HOLD ON

Germany refused to give up and increased the pressure in the closing stages. India’s defence was tested repeatedly, but goalkeeper Savita Punia stood firm and made several important saves.

Germany finally found a breakthrough in the 59th minute. Lynn Krings reacted quickest to a rebound after Savita had made two successive saves, reducing the deficit to 3-1.

The Germans continued pushing for another goal and earned a penalty corner in the dying seconds. India, however, defended the situation successfully to secure a memorable victory.

The result ensured India finished fifth at the World Cup, their best placing since their historic fourth-place finish in 1974.

Midfielder Neha hailed the achievement, saying the team could take pride in their campaign despite falling short of their ultimate target.

“It’s really something to be proud of. Fifth place in the World Cup is a great achievement. I know we wanted to win the semi-final and final, but it is what it is. We are happy to finish fifth,” Neha said.

With the World Cup campaign now complete, India will shift their focus to the Asian Games. Neha said the tournament would be particularly important with the Olympics also on the team’s radar.

“The Asian Games are an important tournament for us, especially with the Olympics in mind. It will be a tough challenge as Asia has several strong teams, including China, Japan and Korea. We will give our best, keep working on our game and continue to fight hard,” she added.