India men’s hockey team loses 4-2 to England in Amstelveen, Netherlands; 32-year drought vs England in World Cup
Hockey World Cup 2026: India’s 32-year wait for win over England extended
Hockey World Cup 2026: India’s 32-year wait for win over England extended
India led 2-1 with Harmanpreet and Dilpreet Singh’s goals but were struck out thrice in the second half to lose 4-2. India’s last World Cup win over England came in 1994.
The Indian men’s team suffered a 4-2 loss to England in its second Pool D match of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on Monday.
India, who had opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Wales, twice found the net through captain Harmanpreet Singh (16’) and Dilpreet Singh (24’) to take a 2-1 lead but England responded with three goals in the second half to claim all three points.
Nicholas Bandurak (14’, 54’) scored twice for England, while Stuart Rushmere (39’) and Henry Croft (43’) added a goal each.
The result extended India’s long wait for a World Cup victory over England in hockey - spanning 32 years.
India’s last Hockey World Cup win against England came in the fifth-place playoff in Sydney in 1994, when they secured a narrow 1-0 victory.
England then won four successive World Cup meetings against India in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. Their most recent FIH World Cup meeting in 2023 ended in a goalless draw.
In Amstelveen, England earned their first penalty corner in the 10th minute following a referral, but Manpreet Singh produced an excellent stick block to keep out the resulting flick.
The pressure eventually told in the 14th minute. A well-executed aerial ball caught the Indian defence off guard and created a two-on-one situation, with Bandurak finishing clinically to give England a 1-0 lead.
India drew level early in the second quarter after winning a penalty corner. Harmanpreet stepped up and unleashed a powerful drag-flick into the top-left corner, giving Payne no chance.
England threatened again through Bandurak, who narrowly missed from close range, but India took the lead in the 24th minute.
Hardik Singh worked the ball along the baseline to Abhishek, who sent a bouncing pass towards the far post. Dilpreet was perfectly positioned to get a decisive touch and put India 2-1 ahead.
India went into half-time with the lead after enjoying the better attacking numbers, registering eight shots on goal to England’s three.
England, however, grew into the contest after the interval and found the equaliser in the 39th minute.
A long slap-push from the right reached Rushmere, who got a half-touch with his reverse stick inside the circle to send the ball past goalkeeper Mohith and make it 2-2.
In the 43rd minute, another aerial ball allowed England to enter India’s 23-metre area. Rushmere was again involved in the build-up before Croft took a quick hit and beat Mohith to score his first World Cup goal and put England 3-2 ahead.
India pushed for an equaliser in the final quarter. Jarmanpreet earned a penalty corner in the 47th minute, but Harmanpreet’s attempt to find a deflection was kept out by an alert Thomas Sorsby.
Abhishek then went close in the 50th minute with a tomahawk that travelled across the face of goal.
England put the result beyond doubt in the 55th minute. After India conceded a penalty corner following a goalmouth melee, Bandurak produced a low drag-flick to the left of goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to complete his brace and make it 4-2.
The result confirmed England’s place in the next phase after they moved to six points from two matches and secured a top-two finish in Pool D.
India remain second with three points from two matches but now face a crucial final pool game against Pakistan to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. Pakistan and Wales have one point each from their opening two matches.
The India vs Pakistan hockey match will be played on Wednesday.
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