India Clinches Junior Asia Cup 2026 Men’s and Women’s Titles

The India team has achieved the remarkable feat of the golden double at the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026 held in Moqi, China, by winning the titles in both the men’s and women’s hockey. The Indian women’s hockey team won the title by beating the host country China 1-0 to claim an unprecedented hat-trick of victories, whereas the men’s hockey team claimed their sixth continental title by thrashing South Korea 4-1.

Indian Women Seal Third Consecutive Junior Asia Cup Crown

The Indian women’s team clinched their third successive Junior Asia Cup title with a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over China.

Sanika Chandrakant Mane netted the winning goal in the 17th minute, flicking an aerial pass from a teammate inside the circle past the Chinese goalkeeper Xu Mengjiao.

China managed to score what seemed like an equalizer through their sole penalty corner, but the goal was ruled out as the ball had gone in above the permissible height. The Indian team defended their slender lead well in the remaining half.

The team, captained by midfielder Khaidem Shileima Chanu, maintained their unbeaten record under their newly-appointed coach Tim White. Sanika was the joint-top scorer of the tournament with seven goals.

The Indian team’s impressive performance saw them beat Pakistan by 19-0 in the quarterfinal and South Korea 5-1 in the semifinals.

Indian Men Grab Sixth Title

The Indian men had an easier time in the final as they beat South Korea 4-1 after getting ahead with a three-goal lead at half-time.

Ajeet Yadav opened the scoring in the ninth minute, followed four minutes later by Anmol Ekka who scored via a penalty corner. Meanwhile, Prabhdeep Singh scored in the 21st minute, while Ashu Maurya got another goal in the 50th minute.

The captain for South Korea, Lee Minhyeok, managed to score through a penalty stroke, but the Indian men easily maintained their lead.

It is the sixth Junior Asia Cup win for India, having won it in 2004, 2008, 2015, 2023, and 2024.

Anmol Ekka Ends Up as the Highest Goalscorer

Anmol Ekka was the best attacker in India’s title-winning effort, having scored 17 goals and setting a record for the most goals scored in the tournament.

India started off with a 14-0 win against Indonesia, then drew 3-3 with Japan before winning against South Korea and Chinese Taipei, and ended up beating Malaysia in the semi-finals 3-1.

Goalkeeper Vivek Lakra was an equally important player who saved a penalty stroke during the semi-final match.