Women’s hockey WC: India’s journey from 1974-2022

Indian hockey’s rich legacy is largely associated with the eight-time Olympic champion men’s team, but the women’s side has had a far more arduous journey, marked by inconsistent participation at the World Cup. From finishing fourth at the inaugural edition in France in 1974 to ending ninth in 2022, the India women have featured in only eight of the 15 editions of the tournament so far.

Here is a look at Indian women’s WC journey:

1974, France: Led by Ajinder Kaur, India made a memorable debut, defeating eventual champions the Netherlands in the group stage. Wins over Mexico and Spain helped India top their pool despite a defeat against Belgium. India lost to Argentina in semifinals before going down to West Germany in bronze medal match.     

1976, Berlin: India were unable to participate in the second edition because of financial difficulties, inadequate institutional sponsorship and lack of funds with the Indian Women’s Hockey Association.

1978, Madrid: Led by Rupa Saini, India returned to the World Cup and finished seventh among 10 teams. They beat Czechoslovakia and drew 1-1 with Canada but lost to the Netherlands and Argentina in Pool A.

1981, Buenos Aires: Despite finishing fourth at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, India failed to qualify for the World Cup in Argentina. Financial and administrative problems affecting the national federation restricted the team’s participation largely to regional and invitational events. West Germany won the title.

1983, Kuala Lumpur: India returned after winning gold at the 1982 Asian Games. Led by Salma D’Silva, the team, however, finished at the bottom of its group after four defeats and a draw against Wales.

1986, Amstelveen: India failed to qualify after finishing fifth in the 1985 World Cup qualifiers in Buenos Aires. The team did, however, win a bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. The Netherlands defeated West Germany to claim their fourth title, while Canada came third.

1990, Sydney: India’s World Cup hopes ended in the qualifiers. The 1989 Intercontinental Cup qualifier was held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, with the top four teams from the 12-team competition advancing. India won two and lost three of their five matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding nine, and finished fourth in Pool B to miss out on qualification.

1994, Dublin: India narrowly missed qualification again. In the 1993 qualifiers in Philadelphia, the top five of the 12 participating teams qualified, but India finished sixth.

1998, Utrecht: Captained by Pritam Rani Siwach, India returned to the World Cup after failing to qualify three successive times. They lost all five Pool A matches and finished 12th and last.

2002, Perth: India failed to qualify after losing to the United States in a tough qualifying contest in June. A few weeks later, however, the team produced a landmark performance by winning gold at Manchester Commonwealth Games. That triumph would later inspire the Bollywood film Chak De! India.

2006, Madrid: India finished 11th among 12 teams after ending last in Pool A, with four defeats and a draw.

Surinder Kaur was among the tournament’s leading scorers, finishing joint second with the Netherlands’ Kim Lammers on five goals. Dutch player Sylvia Karres topped the scoring charts with six.

2010, Rosario: The World Cup marked the emergence of a young Rani Rampal, who announced herself on the international stage with seven goals. India registered their only pool stage win against Japan, while losing their other four matches to finish fifth in their group.

India later defeated South Africa 4-3 in the classification match to finish ninth overall.

2014, The Hague: India entered the 2013 Asian Cup in Kuala Lumpur with a World Cup qualification spot at stake. However, they lost to South Korea in semifinals and had to settle for third place after defeating China. Japan secured berth through continental qualification route.

2018, London: Led by Rani Rampal, India reached the quarterfinals. The team finished third in Pool B after drawing against hosts England and the United States and losing to Ireland. In the crossover match, India beat Italy. They, however, bowed out in the quarters after losing to Ireland in penalty shootout.

2022, Amstelveen and Terrassa, Spain: Savita Punia led India to a draw against England and China in pool matches but lost to New Zealand. In the crossover, India beat Canada 3-2 in penalty shootout before beating Japan 3-1 to finish ninth.