An unbeaten India will face South Korea in the women’s hockey semifinal at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, with the defending silver medallists two wins away from ending a 44-year wait for a second continental gold.
India have been relentless in Pool B, winning all five matches and scoring an extraordinary 66 goals. However, the knockout stage brings a significant step up in quality, with South Korea expected to pose a far tougher challenge at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium than India’s pool-stage opponents.
India opened their campaign with a 19-0 demolition of Uzbekistan before producing similarly emphatic wins against Indonesia and Thailand, defeating them 17-1 and 20-1, respectively.
Their toughest pool encounter came against hosts Japan, where India were made to work harder before securing a 3-1 victory. They then completed the group stage with a 7-0 win over Singapore.
South Korea, meanwhile, finished second in Pool A with four wins from five matches. Their only defeat came against group winners China, who beat them 3-0. South Korea’s biggest win was an 8-0 triumph over Bangladesh.
Deepika leads India’s attacking charge
India’s biggest strength throughout the tournament has been their attacking depth, with multiple players contributing regularly on the scoresheet.
Drag-flick specialist Deepika has been the standout scorer with 21 goals, while Navneet Kaur has added 10, including seven from open play.
Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has seven goals, while Lalremsiami and Ishika have contributed six and five respectively.
Deepika’s ability to influence the game both from open play and penalty corners gives India an additional attacking dimension, while Navneet has also provided an option during set-piece situations.
India have two experienced goalkeeping options in captain Savita and Bichu Devi, both of whom have played important roles during the campaign.
The pair could face a much busier evening against a South Korean side led by midfielder Seungae Park. Park has already scored eight goals in the tournament and will be one of the players India will need to keep under control.
India head coach Sjoerd Marijne knows the semifinal will demand a different level of intensity after a largely one-sided pool campaign.
“For us, training is the way to stay in rhythm… Everybody knows what is expected from them. We have played opponents against whom the challenge was not that big, except Japan. Now it’s a big challenge in the semi-finals of the Asian Games and we are looking forward to play against South Korea,” Marijne said.
The Indian coach will be looking for his side to carry the confidence of their unbeaten run into the knockout stage while adapting to the increased quality of opposition.
India chase first Asian Games gold since 1982
India’s women last won Asian Games gold in 1982. Since then, the team has been unable to reclaim the continental title, with silver medals coming in 2018 and 2022.
A victory against South Korea would take India into the gold-medal match and leave them one win away from ending that long wait.
The semifinal is scheduled to begin at 7 pm local time (3:30 pm IST) on Wednesday. After five dominant victories in the pool stage, India now face the defining test of their Asian Games campaign.