Rajgir (Bihar): The roar of a packed Rajgir Sports Complex turned into celebration on Sunday as India defeated Korea 4-1 to lift the Asia Cup 2025 men’s hockey title, ending an eight-year wait since their last triumph in Dhaka, 2017. The victory also secured India’s qualification for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium.
India’s goals came from Dilpreet Singh (28′, 45′), Sukhjeet Singh (1′) and Amit Rohidas (50′), while Korea could manage only one.
This marks India’s fourth Asia Cup title, putting them just behind Korea’s record of five. Pakistan, who skipped this edition, remain the only other champions with three consecutive wins in the 1980s.
India also extended their record of reaching the final the most times — nine appearances in the title clash. Korea have reached seven finals, while Pakistan have six.
Earlier in the day, Malaysia defeated China to clinch bronze, their second after 2017. Malaysia narrowly missed out on their maiden final appearance after losing 3-4 to Korea in Saturday’s semifinal despite being 3-1 up. China, one of the surprise performers in the group stages, settled for fourth.
Players & Reactions
Captain Harmanpreet Singh praised his team’s all-round effort:
- “As a team defence, we have done very well. And the forwards did a great job, converting all opportunities into goals. This combination is good, and we will continue it,” he told ANI.
Following the victory, Hockey India announced cash rewards — ₹3 lakh each for players and ₹1.5 lakh for support staff.
With this triumph, India not only restored their supremacy in Asia but also sent a strong message ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
