The Indian women’s hockey team’s historic run at the 2026 World Cup has been rewarded with a ₹50 lakh cash prize, with Hockey India announcing the award after the side secured its best finish at the tournament in 52 years.
Captain Salima Tete and her teammates finished fifth after beating world No. 5 Germany 3-1 in the fifth-place classification match in Amstelveen on Thursday.
The result marked India’s best World Cup finish since the inaugural women’s edition in 1974, when the team finished fourth.
Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey praised the team’s resilience throughout the tournament and said the cash award was a recognition of their achievement.
“This is a historic result for Indian women’s hockey. To finish fifth at a World Cup after 52 years is a testament to the hard work, resilience and fighting spirit this team has shown throughout the tournament,” Tirkey said.
“On behalf of Hockey India, I am pleased to announce a cash award of Rs 50 lakh for the team as a token of our appreciation, and I hope this inspires the players to keep raising the bar,” he added.
India endured a demanding campaign, suffering just one defeat against defending champions, the Netherlands. They held higher-ranked China, Australia and England to draws before producing a dominant 6-1 win over South Africa.
The team then closed out its campaign with a comeback victory over Germany, scoring three times in the third quarter after the two sides went into half-time level at 0-0.
Ishika Chaudhary opened the scoring in the 43rd minute with a reverse-lift finish after making a strong run into the circle.
Navneet Kaur doubled India’s advantage a minute later by converting their first penalty corner of the match before adding another goal in the 47th minute to put India 3-0 ahead.
Germany pulled one back through Lynn Krings in the 59th minute, but India held firm in the closing stages to secure the 3-1 victory.
Goalkeeper Savita Punia and Bichu Devi also played important roles during the campaign, with India’s defensive unit repeatedly standing up against some of the world’s leading teams.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh said the team’s performance had made the country proud and expressed hope that the reward would provide further motivation ahead of the Asian Games.
“Salima and her team have done the country proud with a campaign that saw them compete with, and hold their own against, some of the best sides in the world,” Singh said.
India will now turn its attention to the Asian Games in Japan, with the continental event providing the team with another opportunity to build on its impressive World Cup campaign.