Mumbai, August 31: The Indian women’s hockey team has achieved a remarkable milestone by securing the 8th position in the FIH World Rankings, following their outstanding performance in the 2026 World Cup. This marks their best showing in 52 years. The team, which reached the semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics, has climbed one spot in the rankings.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s hockey team, which won bronze medals at the last two Olympics in Tokyo and Paris (2024), managed to maintain its 8th place ranking despite not meeting medal expectations in the recent tournament.
In the women’s rankings, the Netherlands retains the top position with 4,083 points, despite suffering their first World Cup loss since 2010. Argentina’s victory has helped them close the gap, securing the second spot with 3,757 points. Belgium follows closely in third place with 3,494 points, marking a historic return to the World Cup podium after 48 years.
Despite not fulfilling medal hopes, China remains the highest-ranked Asian women’s team at 3,182 points, holding the fourth position. Three European teams follow: Spain (3,089) in fifth, Germany (3,063) in sixth, and England (3,044) in seventh, with only a 45-point difference among them.
The Indian women’s team finished fifth in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, their best performance in over five decades, which allowed them to rise to 8th place with 2,938 points. Australia is in ninth place with 2,812 points.
The top ten also includes the United States (2,612), which finished 10th in the World Cup. Japan (2,476), New Zealand (2,446), Ireland (2,426), and Scotland (2,415) occupy the 11th to 14th positions, with a total of 61 ranking points separating them. Chile is in 15th place with 2,104 points, followed by France (2,094) and Korea (2,066), both of which did not qualify for the World Cup. South Africa rounds out the participating teams at 18th with 2,050 points, while Italy (1,995) and Uruguay (1,976) complete the top 20.
In the men’s rankings, Germany has claimed the top spot with 3,720 points after winning the World Cup for the second consecutive time. Their victory pushed Belgium (3,692) to second place, as Belgium finished their World Cup campaign in seventh.
Australia holds the third position with 3,583 points. Argentina’s win over the Netherlands in the bronze medal match propelled them to fourth place in the world rankings with 3,512 points, while the Dutch team is now in fifth with 3,481 points. Spain, having missed a golden opportunity to win the title, is in sixth with 3,473 points, followed by England in seventh with 3,431 points.
India remains the highest-ranked Asian team in the men’s category, holding the 8th position with 3,072 points, unchanged from their previous ranking. New Zealand, finishing 9th in the World Cup, is just behind India with 2,965 points. France also makes the top ten with 2,841 points.
Ireland is in 11th place with 2,645 points, while Pakistan ranks 12th with 2,561 points. South Africa’s impressive World Cup performance has placed them 13th with 2,531 points, making them the highest-ranked African team.
Scotland, unable to qualify for the World Cup, is the highest-ranked team in the world at 14th place with 2,371 points. They are followed by Malaysia (2,346) and Egypt (2,308). The top 20 also includes Japan (2,300), Wales (2,299), Canada (2,200), and China (2,131) in the 17th to 20th positions.
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