India’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 came to an end after the Harmanpreet Singh-led side suffered a 3-5 defeat against Argentina in their final Pool E match at the Wagener Stadium on Monday.
The loss left India at the bottom of Pool E without a point from three matches, while Argentina moved to six points. India will now play Belgium in the classification match for seventh and eighth place.
India needed a victory by at least three goals to keep their semifinal hopes alive, but Argentina struck twice inside the opening six minutes to put the hosts under immediate pressure.
Joaquin Toscani opened the scoring in the first minute, finding the net from a tight angle after Argentina worked the ball into the circle from the right. Nicolas Della Torre then doubled the advantage in the sixth minute by converting a penalty corner.
India responded in the 10th minute when Sukhjeet Singh pulled one back with a field goal after receiving the ball from Abhishek. Despite the setback, Argentina continued to create problems with quick attacks and aerial balls that repeatedly exposed gaps in the Indian midfield and defence.
The second quarter remained goalless, but India struggled to convert possession and opportunities into goals. Several unforced errors disrupted their attacks, while Argentina remained organised at the back.
Argentina regained control in the third quarter. Tomas Domene capitalised on an Indian defensive error in the 33rd minute, scoring with a reverse hit to make it 3-1.
India then earned a series of penalty corners but failed to convert them, with Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flicks either being blocked by the Argentine defence or missing the target. India also lost a referral after appealing for a foul.
Domene struck again in the 45th minute from a penalty stroke after the ball hit Yashdeep inside the circle, giving Argentina a commanding 4-1 lead.
Lucas Toscani added Argentina’s fifth goal in the 53rd minute, finding space inside the circle before unleashing a reverse hit past goalkeeper Suraj Karkera.
India mounted a late fightback, with Sukhjeet scoring his second goal of the match in the 58th minute after receiving Mandeep Singh’s cross. A minute later, Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit to 3-5.
India earned one final penalty corner just before the hooter, but Harmanpreet’s attempt was saved by Argentine goalkeeper Tomas Santiago, confirming India’s exit from the semifinal race.
The defeat extends India’s wait for a medal at the Men’s Hockey World Cup. India last stood on the podium in 1975, when they won their only World Cup title by defeating Pakistan 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur. The team had also won bronze in 1971 and silver in 1973.
India’s defensive struggles proved costly during the 2026 campaign, with the team conceding 16 goals across five matches, according to the tournament record cited in the reports.
Argentina will now await the outcome of the Netherlands-England match to determine the final semifinalists from Pool E. For India, attention will turn to the classification match against Belgium before the team looks ahead to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, next month.
(With agency inputs)
