Indian Women's Hockey Team Prepares for Asia Cup 2025 Against Thailand
India's Women's Hockey Team Set for Asia Cup 2025
The Indian Women's Hockey Team is gearing up to commence their Women’s Asia Cup 2025 journey with a match against Thailand on September 5.
In the tournament, India finds itself in Pool B, competing against the reigning champions Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. Meanwhile, Pool A features host nation China, along with Korea, Malaysia, and Chinese Taipei.
This prestigious event will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 5 to 14, 2025. After securing a bronze medal in the last edition, the Indian squad is determined to aim for the top spot this time around.
A triumph in this tournament not only brings regional prestige but also ensures direct qualification for the 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup, as the champions of the Asia Cup automatically earn a place in this esteemed event, according to a release from Hockey India.
India's captain, Salima Tete, expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “We are thrilled to kick off our campaign in the Women’s Asia Cup. Being in Pool B with defending champions Japan will challenge our skills and resilience right from the start. However, facing them early in the tournament will provide a valuable opportunity to assess our capabilities. Our focus will be on playing intelligent and disciplined hockey, taking it one match at a time. Our ultimate aim is to lift the trophy and secure a direct entry into the 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup.”
Vice Captain Navneet Kaur echoed these sentiments, noting, “This tournament will be tough with Asia’s elite teams competing, but we view it as a chance to showcase our best performance from the outset. We have been training rigorously and with purpose, and we aim to implement our strategies effectively during the matches. Competing against Japan in the group stage will give us an early taste of high-pressure hockey, which will only strengthen our team. We are committed to making this Asia Cup campaign memorable and to make our nation proud.”
It’s worth mentioning that the Indian Women’s Hockey Team last clinched the Asia Cup title in 2017, defeating China in the final.
India's match schedule for the Asia Cup 2025 in Pool B is as follows:
5th September 2025: India vs Thailand
6th September 2025: Japan vs India
8th September 2025: India vs Singapore
According to the tournament structure, the top two teams from each pool will progress to the Super 4s Pool, where each team will face the other three teams once. The leading two teams from the Super 4s Pool will advance to the final, while the third and fourth-placed teams will compete for the 3rd/4th place. The bottom two teams from both Pool A and Pool B will engage in classification matches to determine the 5th to 8th positions in the tournament.