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India ended the 2026 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in eighth place after losing the 7th/8th place classification match to co-hosts Belgium 4-3 in a shootout on 28 August 2026 at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre.
The match finished 3-3 in regulation time, with Abhishek Nain scoring in the sixth minute and captain Harmanpreet Singh scoring twice, including an equaliser in the closing seconds that forced the shootout.
Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch denied Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh in the shootout, and Belgium took seventh place.
Harmanpreet Singh finished his World Cup campaign with eight goals, the highest of any Indian player at the tournament.
This was the 16th edition of the men's World Cup, held from 15 to 30 August 2026 and co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands with 16 teams.
Abhishek Nain puts India ahead early.
Roman Duvekot equalises for Belgium in front of a home crowd.
Hugo Labouchere strikes within a minute of the equaliser to put Belgium 2-1 up.
Harmanpreet Singh levels the score at 2-2 from a penalty corner.
Belgium restore their lead to make it 3-2.
Harmanpreet Singh scores again with seconds left to force the game to a shootout at 3-3.
Belgium win 4-3; goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch saves from Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh.
World governing body for field hockey; organises the Hockey World Cup, the Pro League and Olympic hockey qualification
National governing body for the sport in India and the FIH member association that fields the Indian national teams
General Awareness > Sports Current Affairs - major international tournaments, hosts and winners
General Awareness > Sports - world championships and Indian performances
General Awareness > Sports Current Affairs
General Knowledge > Sports and Current Events
Who scored 10 goals for India in their 24-1 victory over the USA to secure a second consecutive Olympic gold medal in hockey?
Answer: Roop Singh
A match played by teams already out of medal contention to decide final placings in a tournament - here, the 7th/8th place game.
The tie-breaking format in modern hockey in which an attacker starts 23 metres from goal and has eight seconds to score against the goalkeeper, replacing the older penalty-stroke shootout.
A set-piece awarded for a defensive offence inside the circle; Harmanpreet Singh's drag-flick from penalty corners is India's principal scoring weapon.