IND vs KOR: India beats Korea 4-1, wins Asia Cup after 8 years, qualifies for Hockey World Cup 2026

Sports News: The Indian hockey team once again waved its glory in Asian hockey. Under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Singh, Team India defeated defending champion South Korea 4–1 in the final of the Men's Asia Cup Hockey 2025, not only winning the fourth title of the Asia Cup, but also confirming the ticket for the FIH MES Hockey World Cup 2026. The World Cup will be played in the Netherlands and Belgium. The tournament was held for the first time in Rajgir, Bihar, and India was considered to be the main contender to win the title from the beginning. Coach Craig Fulton's strategy and the powerful game of players turned these expectations into reality.

India's invincible performance in the entire tournament

The Indian team did not lose a single match by performing brilliantly throughout the tournament.

• Pool Stage: India won all three matches.
• Super-4 round: won two out of three matches and played a match draw.
• The draw match was also against South Korea, which ended at 2–2.
• This continuous performance by India shows how strong and confident the team is on the field.

India's tremendous debut in the final

India made a strong and aggressive start in the final played on Sunday. In the very first minute, Sukhjit Singh scored a goal to give the team an edge. Just before the first half ended, Dilpreet Singh scored the second goal and scored 2–0. Indian players dominated the second half as well. In the 45th minute, Dilpreet Singh strengthened his team's lead to another spectacular goal. Amit Rohidas' goal in the 50th minute completely eliminated all Korea's expectations. Although South Korea scored a goal in the 57th minute, it remained limited to the scoreline 4–1.

India's fourth title, World Cup entry confirmed

India won the Asia Cup title for the fourth time in their 9th final. The last time this title was named after India in 2017. India is now behind South Korea (5 titles) in terms of winning the title. This was the fourth face-to-face between India and Korea in the final. In the first 3 finals, 2 Korea and 1 was won by India. With this victory, this record now came to an equal 2–2. This title win gave the Indian team a direct ticket for the 2026 Hockey World Cup, making this victory even more historic.

Wonderful performance by players

Sukhjit Singh: In the very first minute of the final, he scored a goal for the team. Dilpreet Singh: Gave the foundation of victory by scoring two brilliant goals. Amit Rohidas ended all the expectations of Korea's return by scoring the fourth goal. Captain Harmanpreet Singh showed excellent defense and leadership.

India dominated Asian hockey

With this victory, India once again proved who is the king of hockey in Asia. Now the next target of the team will have to perform the title by performing a strong performance in the 2026 Hockey World Cup. This victory of India is not just a title win, but is proof of India's superiority in Asian hockey. Harmanpreet's captaincy and the entire team's collective effort ended 8 years of waiting. Now the eyes of the whole world will be on this team when it takes the field in the World Cup.