The India mens hockey team is now out of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after they lost 3-5 to Argentina at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Monday. To move forward the India mens hockey team needed to win by least two goals. Instead the India mens hockey team let in five goals, which means the India mens hockey team is finished in the Pool E round.

The game did not start well for the India mens hockey team. Joaquin Toscani put Argentina ahead in the first minute. Then Nicolas Della Torre made the lead 2-0 in the minute with a penalty corner drag-flick. Sukhjeet Singh scored to make it 2-1 in the minute but Argentina kept moving forward.

Tomas Domene scored a field goal. Then scored a penalty stroke after Yashdeep Siwach made a mistake. Lucas Toscani made the score 5-1 in the minute. The India mens hockey team did manage to score two goals in the game through Sukhjeet Singh and a Hardik Singh penalty stroke but the game was already over, by then.

Hockey World Cup results: Fulton Reacts

Head coach Craig Fulton accepted the blame for the loss saying the team let the occasion get to them of sticking to their usual plan. Craig Fulton believed that the outcome mattered more, than the performance. Craig Fulton thought that the outcome had gotten the better of us. If the team had returned to its approach, which Craig Fulton hoped for things could have been different.

Craig Fulton took responsibility. It was not the way we wanted to start unfortunately. Argentina will punish mistakes. They did.. It was nice to see that in the last ten to twelve minutes the team came back and could have scored three goals in five or six minutes but it was too late.

India Hockey World Cup: Off Day as India’s World Cup Hopes Fade

Asked whether Siwach, whose errors led directly to two Argentina goals, had struggled with the pressure of the occasion, Fulton pointed instead to a collective off day. "I think everyone didn't have a good day today. Not just one player. I think it happens and it happened to us in this game.

We were hoping for a better performance, considering the ramifications," he said, adding that India's fate had effectively been sealed earlier in the tournament: "I think we put ourselves in this situation in the England game. Had we held out and tried to get a result in that game, it would have changed everything further down. But we tried and it wasn't to be."

Defender Jugraj Singh, who has had a quiet World Cup, was again left out for the second round. Fulton put it down to squad rotation rather than a drop in form, with next month's Asian Games also on the team's mind. "No, rotation. So just rotation. Kanta today, Vivek yesterday. So we're using these games for Asian Games as well," he said.

Hockey World Cup latest: What's Next

India have lost 10 of their 21 matches this year. Let in 45 goals. These numbers make people wonder a lot about the India defence during this tournament. Fulton said he still feels confident that the team can fix things before the year ends. "Yes that is the plan. We are still playing for our ranking. We have got one game. So I am looking forward to it " Fulton added.

India will now play Belgium in the classification match, for place. Argentina meanwhile have six points from the round and will know their semifinal fate once England play the Netherlands, who have already qualified.

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