India crowned a remarkable campaign with a 2-0 win over hosts New Zealand in the final of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2025-26 in Auckland on Sunday, securing the title and earning promotion to next season’s FIH Pro League.
The Indian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, registering victories over the United States, Japan and Uruguay in the group stage before defeating Chile in the semi-finals and New Zealand in the title clash.
India made a dream start in the final, taking the lead through Navneet Kaur in the fourth minute. Sunelita Toppo doubled the advantage in the 15th minute, and the team held firm for the remainder of the match to seal a memorable victory.
Forward Lalremsiami was named Player of the Match for her impressive display in the final, while drag-flick specialist Deepika finished as the joint highest scorer of the tournament with six goals, sharing the honour with USA forward Ashley Sessa.
Following the triumph, Hockey India announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for every member of the support staff.
Chief coach Sjoerd Marijne praised the team’s progress during the competition and said the victory was an important milestone for the group.
“Of course, we are delighted to win our first tournament and final together. It was crucial for us to learn how to win finals, especially after our recent heartbreak against England at the World Cup qualifier. The team improved with every match. We relied on a very strong and well-organised defence,” he said.
“While we created enough opportunities to score more, that remains an area where we must keep working. Our penalty-corner conversion was very good throughout this tournament. If we can achieve a higher conversion rate for field goals, that will be fantastic. It is never easy to win a tournament when you enter as the highest-ranked team. We showed that we can manage that pressure well. Moving forward, playing against the top teams in the world will provide an important learning process for our youngsters. Testing ourselves at the highest level is exactly what we need to grow to the next tier,” he added.
Captain Salima Tete said the team entered the tournament with a clear objective and was pleased to achieve it.
“It feels absolutely amazing to lift this trophy. Our entire team worked incredibly hard for this moment. We entered this tournament with a clear mindset to bring the trophy home. Securing promotion back to the Pro League was extremely important for us. I am proud that we achieved our goal,” she said.
“With the World Cup approaching, this victory provides a massive boost to our confidence. The team is playing with a very strong mindset right now. Every single match in this tournament was highly important for us. This win gives us the perfect momentum for our future preparations,” Salima concluded.