Indian Women's Hockey Faces FIH Pro League Relegation Battle: Can They Avoid the Drop?

Wednesday - 30/07/2025 04:02

Three teams, two matches, one relegation battle: here's how India can avoid relegation from FIH Pro League.

The Indian women's hockey team is facing a challenging situation in the FIH Pro League, mirroring the struggles of their male counterparts. However, unlike the men's team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, who narrowly avoided relegation due to Ireland's performance, Salima Tete's team is in a direct battle to avoid finishing last and being relegated.

With only two matches remaining, the question is: Can India escape relegation from the FIH Pro League? Let's examine the scenarios.

Current Standings Overview

Currently, India finds itself at the bottom of the standings with a mere 10 points from 14 matches. The relegation battle is primarily between India, England (11 points from 14 matches), and Germany (13 points from the same number of matches).

All three teams have two matches left, making these final games crucial to avoid the dreaded last-place finish. The team finishing ninth will be relegated to the FIH Nations Cup, missing the opportunity to compete against top-tier hockey teams in the next FIH Pro League season.

The upcoming matches are particularly significant, as England and Germany will face each other twice, directly impacting the relegation scenario. Meanwhile, India will play China in both their remaining games.

The Dutch women's team has already secured the title for a record-breaking fifth time.

Key Factors for India to Avoid Relegation

India's chances have been severely hampered by their inability to secure outright wins in their last six matches. Facing formidable opponents like Australia, Argentina, and Belgium, they suffered five losses and managed only a 2-2 draw against Argentina, which ultimately resulted in a shootout defeat. As a result, India's fate is no longer solely in their hands.

The optimal outcome for India is to win both matches against China, boosting their points total to 16. This scenario relies on England and Germany failing to reach that same number of points. Even securing one outright win and a draw would require either Germany or England to suffer one or two outright losses. A single loss for India would make avoiding relegation an uphill battle.

Shootout wins, which award a bonus point (totaling two points), could provide India with a crucial advantage.

Avoiding outright defeats in both matches is paramount. The number of outright victories during the season is the primary tiebreaker when teams are tied on points, followed by goal difference and goals scored. Currently, India has only two outright wins, while Germany and England each have three.

Tiebreaker Rules

In situations where teams are level on match wins, goal difference, and goals scored, the aggregate results of matches played between the tied teams will determine the final rankings.

If these criteria remain insufficient, the number of field goals scored will be considered, followed by the team with fewer red, yellow, and green cards accumulated during the season.

Outlook

The situation is precarious for India, and their fate is not entirely in their control. To compound matters, their current form is concerning. They face China, the Olympic silver medalists, who are currently fourth in the Pro League with 22 points and six wins, in must-win matches.

While India has previously defeated China twice at the Asian Champions Trophy, those victories came against a weakened team without their regular head coach.

In their recent matches against Belgium in Berlin, India struggled to score, while their defense conceded seven goals. Although they are competitive, they haven't been able to secure wins. Head coach Harendra Singh acknowledges the need for improvement across all areas if the team hopes to avoid relegation. While not impossible, the odds appear stacked against them.