England Women's World Cup Campaign Ends in Group Stage

England's women's hockey team will not be competing for a medal at the FIH Hockey World Cup after a 0-0 draw with India left them third in Pool D. With only the top two teams advancing, David Ralph's side finished on four points and now moves into a classification phase determining places nine through sixteen.

In that phase, England will face Chile on Friday and Japan on Sunday.

Mixed group-stage results

England opened their campaign strongly, beating South Africa 4-0 on Sunday, but lost to China two days later after conceding four goals. Tess Howard and Sophie Hamilton scored to narrow the gap, but it wasn't enough to avoid defeat.

The result continues a difficult run for the team, which has not seriously contended in a major tournament since winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Since then, England finished fourth at the 2023 EuroHockey Nations Championship and fifth last year. England and Great Britain sides have also failed to finish higher than sixth in the FIH Pro League since taking third place in 2020-21, and Great Britain placed eighth at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Contrasting fortunes for the men's team

While the women's campaign ended early, England's men secured passage to the second stage of their World Cup by winning all three Pool D matches. They beat Pakistan 4-1, defeated India 4-2, and thrashed Wales 8-2 in Wednesday's final group game.

England's men now move into a second-stage pool alongside India, carrying forward their 4-2 win, and will play two qualifiers from Pool A on Saturday and Monday as they push for a semi-final spot. Both World Cup tournaments are being held across Wavre, Belgium, and Amstelveen, in the Netherlands.