India has won the title of Under-18 Hockey Asia Cup 2026. In the final match played on Friday, Team India won the trophy by defeating Japan 4-1. Earlier in the semi-finals, India had defeated Pakistan 5-3 and entered the finals. This is the third time that India has won the Hockey Asia Cup at the Under-18 level. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Team India on this memorable victory.

Just as in the semi-finals, Ashish Purti had turned the tide of the match in the last quarter. Even in the final, he gave a match-winning performance by scoring 3 goals. Even in the second minute of the match, India had taken a 1-0 lead and by the end of the third quarter, Team India was moving towards victory with a 4-0 lead.

Japan needed a miraculous performance in the fourth quarter. The only goal from Japan in the entire match came in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to defeat Team India. Before this, India had won the Under-18 Asia Cup title in 2001 and 2016.

A splendid accomplishment by our young hockey players!

Congratulations to the Indian Men’s U18 Hockey Team on winning the Men’s U18 Asia Cup 2026. The team displayed exceptional skill and teamwork throughout the tournament, culminating in a memorable victory in the final. This… pic.twitter.com/w5xIVAvN13

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2026

PM Modi congratulated

Congratulating India’s men’s under-18 hockey team, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media – Great achievement by our young hockey players. Congratulations to the entire team for winning the Under-18 Asia Cup title. The team displayed excellent skills and excellent teamwork throughout the tournament, resulting in a memorable victory for India in the final. This achievement shows that the game of hockey is gaining popularity among the youth. I wish the Indian team all the best for the next challenges.

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India has defeated Pakistan 5-3 in the semi-finals of Under-18 Hockey Asia Cup. With this, Team India has entered the finals, where it will face Japan. Earlier, Team India had finished second in Group A, due to which it got a direct semi-final ticket.

In the semi-final against Pakistan, Ashish Purti single-handedly changed the fate of the match for the Indian team. Till the third quarter, India was trailing by 2-3. But in the last quarter, Ashish Purti scored three goals to ensure that Team India reached the final. Ashish scored a total of 4 goals in the entire match, while the fifth goal was scored by Shahrukh Ali. Ashish was also chosen player of the match for this performance.

The first goal came from India, when Team India got a penalty stroke in the 12th minute, Ashish converted it into a goal. In the second quarter, Pakistan made a comeback and equalized the score at one point in the last minutes. The Pakistani team made a comeback in the third quarter and scored two goals and India scored only one goal, due to which Pakistan took a 3-2 lead after 45 minutes of play.

In the last 15 minutes, Ashish Purti created havoc and scored three goals one after the other. In the 56th minute, Ashish Purti converted the penalty corner into a goal and gave Team India a lead of 2 goals, which remained till the end.

The final will be held from Japan

Now India and Japan will compete in the final of Under-18 Asia Cup. The final match will be played on 6 June. In the first semi-final, Japan had booked the ticket for the final by defeating Malaysia 8-1. Let us tell you that Japan had defeated India in the group match.

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The semi-final match of the Under-18 Hockey Asia Cup 2026 was played between India and Pakistan on Friday. In the match, Team India made a comeback in the last quarter and entered the final by winning 5-3. Ashish Purti led Team India to victory by scoring 3 consecutive goals in the last quarter. But a video related to this match is going viral, in which it is claimed that the Pakistani player has shamed the spirit of the game.

Actually this matter is of the third quarter, Team India was leading 2-1. In the 37th minute of the match, the Pakistani player scored the goal directly from the bully. When the match is restarted after being stopped due to penalty or any other reason, that process is called ‘Bully’. In this, one player each from both the teams stands near the ball, first they place the hockey stick on the ground and then after the hockey stick hits, the game starts.

Generally, to respect the spirit of the game, during a bully, a player pushes the ball towards his opponent. But the Pakistani player flouted the spirit of the game and hit the ball into the goal post. Since hockey players generally respect the spirit of the game, the Indian players were surprised to see this action of the Pakistani player. After scoring this goal, the Pakistani player also did an aggressive celebration by throwing the hockey stick on the ground.

SOR LOSERS!!!

When Bully happens players give back pass due to sportsmanship btw meanwhile in U18 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup A Paki player scored from Bully & behaved like he has scored World best goal !!#Hockey pic.twitter.com/jmLfWqTfl8

— Navin Mittal (@NavinSports) June 5, 2026

Well, in the end the Pakistan team had to face a crushing defeat. Team India defeated Pakistan 5-3 and made it to the finals. Now India will face Japan in the final on June 6. Japan, which has defeated Team India in the group match.

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The schedule of Hockey World Cup 2026 has been revealed for the Indian hockey team. The match that fans are waiting for the most is the India-Pakistan match to be held on August 19. This match between India and Pakistan in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 will be played at 6:30 pm Indian time at the Wagner Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.

India’s group and matches

India has been placed in Pool-D, where the teams of Pakistan, England and Wales are present along with it. The top team from this group will directly reach the quarterfinals, while the second and third placed teams will play crossover matches. India will start its campaign against Wales on 15th August. After this, it will face England on 17th August. An important match will also be played between Pakistan and England on 15th August.

Indian men’s team schedule

1. August 15: India vs Wales (4:30 pm)
2. 17 August: India vs England
3. 19 August: India vs Pakistan (6:30 pm)

Women’s team also announced

Indian women’s hockey team is also participating in this tournament. The Indian women’s team will play its first match against Asian champion China on 16 August. After this, on August 18, it will face the South African hockey team, which is below India in the rankings. The women’s team will play its last group match on August 20 against England, whom it has recently lost to in the qualifiers.

women’s team schedule

1. 16 August: india vs china
2. 18th August: India vs South Africa
3. 20 August: India vs England

When and where will the tournament take place

This tournament will be played from 15th August to 30th August. This time the men’s and women’s World Cups are being organized together, which is being jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The matches will be played in two major grounds – Wagner Stadium (Netherlands) and Belgian Hockey Arena (Belgium).

India’s qualification

The Indian men’s team has qualified for this tournament by winning the Asia Cup, while the women’s team has secured a place by finishing second in the qualifiers held in Hyderabad.

Where to watch live match

Fans in India will be able to watch the matches of this tournament live. There is a possibility of live streaming of all the matches on digital platform on JioHotstar app and website. At the same time, matches can be telecast on Star Sports Network and Sports18 channels on TV.

Waiting for high voltage competition

The competition between India and Pakistan is always high voltage. In such a situation, the match of 19th August is going to be very special for the fans. In this match between the two teams, there will be not only a battle for victory, but also a battle for prestige.

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In Asia Cup 2025, 3 matches were played between India and Pakistan, this also included the final. But Suryakumar Yadav and the team had decided that neither at the time of the toss nor after the end of the match, they would shake hands with the Pakistani players. Surya had even refused to accept the winning trophy from PCB chairman (who is also the ACC chief) Mohsin Naqvi. But the opposite scene was seen in hockey. Players of India and Pakistan did high five in Sultan Johor Cup 2025.

High-five between players of India and Pakistan

Sultan Johor Cup 2025 is being organized in Malaysia, it is an under-21 tournament. In this, a match was played between India and Pakistan on Tuesday. Before this match, players of both the teams high-fived each other. After the national anthem, Indian players high-fived Pakistan players. Its photos and videos are becoming quite viral on social media.

However, Pakistan was afraid that like cricket, Indian players would not join hands in hockey also. For this reason, prior instructions were given to the players of Pakistan hockey team and they were asked to be mentally prepared. Quoting an official, it was said in the media report that, ‘Players have been told that if Indian players do not shake hands before or after the match, then they should ignore it and move ahead. They have been asked to avoid any kind of emotional conflict during the match.

Indian and Pakistani players had a hand shake before the start of Sultan of Johor Cup Hockey Match pic.twitter.com/gWMutT6ote

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) October 14, 2025

What was the result of India-Pakistan match?

The India-Pakistan match played on Tuesday in the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 ended in a draw. Pakistan scored the first goal in the 5th minute itself. The second goal was scored by Pakistan in the 39th minute. India took the lead by scoring the third goal in the 53rd minute, but Pakistan also scored the third goal in the 55th minute. The match ended in a draw with a score of 3-3.

The Asia Cup hockey will be held in Rajgir, Bihar between August 27 and September 7, including 8 teams including India and Pakistan. But now it is reported that Pakistan hockey team has refused to come to India, after which Hockey India has sent an invitation to another country. Let us know that whatever team will win the Asia Cup, it will qualify for the World Cup 2026 to be held in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Since the Pahalgam attack, the distance between India and Pakistan has increased further, it has affected the sports world like every region. India’s cricket team has also not gone to play Pakistan in many tournaments, after which the India vs Pakistan match was held on neutral venue. Cricket Asia Cup is also going to be organized, it was shifted to UAE for this reason.

A Hockey India official told ‘The Hindu’, “The Government of India was ready to give visas to the players of Pakistan, but the Pakistan Hockey Federation refused to come to India citing security reasons.”

Bangladesh gets invited for Asia Cup hockey

Hockey India has sent an invitation to Bangladesh after Pakistan’s withdrawal from the Asia Cup. The official told ‘The Hindu’, “PHF (Pakistan Hockey Federation) wrote a letter to the Asian Hockey Federation on Wednesday, saying that Pakistan team will not be able to participate in the Asia Cup due to security reasons. We have now invited Bangladesh.

Which teams will play in Asia Cup 2025?

• India
• China
• Japan
• Malaysia
• South Korea
• Pakistan (news of withdrawal of name from tournament)
• Oman
• Chinese taip

Hockey Asia Cup will win the World Cup for the World Cup

The winning team of the Asia Cup tournament to be held in Rajgir, Bihar will qualify in the 2026 FIH World Cup. Whereas after this the top 5 teams will play in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.