India women end 44-year wait with Asian Games hockey gold, qualify for LA28
India beat China 1–0 to win its first Asian Games women’s hockey gold in 44 years and secure direct qualification for LA28.
Representative photograph from 2019: Government of Odisha / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Not a photograph of the 2026 Asian Games final. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Womens_Hockey_Team_for_the_Olympic_Qualifiers__2019.jpg
India’s women’s hockey team defeated defending champions China 1–0 in the Asian Games final in Japan on October 2, 2026, winning the title after a 44-year wait and securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Lalremsiami scored the match’s only goal with a reverse-stick shot in the 10th minute. The final was also her 200th international appearance for India. Goalkeeper Savita later saved a penalty stroke as India protected the lead until full time.
The victory gave India its first Asian Games women’s hockey gold since 1982. China received silver, while hosts Japan won bronze.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, October 2, 2026
Image note: Representative team photograph from 2019; it is not an image of the 2026 Asian Games final. Credit: Government of Odisha / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
