FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026: Uruguay Register A Dominant 3-0 Win Over Austria

Add as a preferred source on Google

Hyderabad, March 13: Uruguay secured a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Austria in its 5-8 classification fixture at the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in Hyderabad on Friday. The contest was played at the GMC Balayogi Hockey Stadium.

Teresa Viana struck twice in the 21st and 44th minutes, while skipper Manuela Vilar set the tone early with a goal in the fourth minute, guiding Uruguay to a commanding win.

Earlier, the Wales women's national field hockey team edged past the South Korea women's national field hockey team 2-1. Captain Elizabeth Bingham netted both goals for Wales in the 49th and 53rd minutes, while Park Yeongeun had earlier given Korea the lead in the 46th minute.

FIH World Cup Qualifiers 2026: India Eye For Trophy After Securing WC Berth

Meanwhile, India women's national field hockey team, already assured of a place at the 2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup, will now shift focus to claiming the title at the qualifiers when they meet Italy women's national field hockey team in the semifinal.

India topped Pool B after collecting seven points from three matches and finished ahead of Scotland women's national field hockey team on goal difference, with Scotland also ending the group phase with the same points tally.

The hosts began their campaign with a convincing 4-0 result against Uruguay. Their second outing ended in a 2-2 stalemate against Scotland, before they wrapped up the group stage with a 4-1 win over Wales.

Those results ensured India booked their ticket to the 2026 Women's World Cup through a qualification rule that awards a spot to the highest-ranked team finishing fourth across the two qualification tournaments.

The earlier qualification event held in Santiago saw Chile women's national field hockey team, Australia women's national field hockey team, and Ireland women's national field hockey team earn direct berths. Japan women's national field hockey team placed fourth in that event and currently sit 15th in the global rankings.

Ranked ninth in the world, India emerged as the highest-ranked fourth-place finisher across the two competitions, thereby confirming their qualification for the global tournament.

India will now attempt to continue their impressive run and secure a place in the final when they face Italy, who finished second in Pool A with four points after recording one victory, one draw, and one defeat.

Among India's standout players so far has been forward Navneet Kaur, who shares the lead in the tournament's scoring chart with four goals. She delivered a hat-trick in India's last group-stage match against Wales.

Italy, on the other hand, will rely heavily on Federica Carta, who has contributed three goals and remains a key figure in their attacking lineup.

Historically, India and Italy have met seven times since 2012. India have come out on top in five of those encounters, while Italy have claimed one win and one match has finished level.