2026 Hockey Youth Asia Cup ends: India wins both men's and women's titles, China wins World Cup ticket

Hulunbuir, September 13 (China News Service) – The 2026 Youth Asian Cup in hockey concluded on the 13th. After ten days and 60 matches, the Indian team swept both the men’s and women’s championships. The Chinese men’s and women’s teams successfully secured their spots in the 2027 Youth World Cup in hockey.

In the men’s final, India faced South Korea. India launched a fierce attack from the start, capitalizing on short corner opportunities to score repeatedly. In the fourth quarter, South Korea mounted a counterattack and managed to score a penalty goal near the end of the match. Ultimately, India won 4-1 to claim the championship.

The women’s final was contested between China and India. Both teams engaged in intense offensive play from the opening whistle. At 1 minute and 30 seconds into the second quarter, India scored first through a well-coordinated team pass and shot. After conceding, China launched a strong counterattack but failed to equalize. When the final whistle blew, India won 1-0.

After the match, Wei Qixiao, captain of the Chinese women’s hockey team, stated in an interview that the team had given their all throughout the final. “After the opponent scored, we maintained our composure, stuck to our tactical approach, and every player fought until the very end.”

With this, the final standings for each category were determined: In the women’s division, India took the gold, China the silver, and Japan the bronze; in the men’s division, India won gold, South Korea silver, and Pakistan bronze.

This tournament is the highest-level youth hockey competition in Asia and also serves as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2027 Youth World Cup in hockey. According to the competition rules, the top four teams in the women’s division and the top six teams in the men’s division qualify for the Youth World Cup. Both the Chinese men’s and women’s teams successfully advanced.

Lan Huimin, leader of the Chinese team, explained: “Our team completed their integration training in just 50 days. Most of the players were competing in an intercontinental championship for the first time, and reaching the final for the championship was an unexpected achievement, which inevitably led to some nervousness. Moving forward, the team will focus on preparing for the Youth World Cup from multiple dimensions, including psychological resilience, physical fitness, explosive power, physical confrontation, and overall tactical coordination.”