India Enters FIH WC Qualifiers Final vs England

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 14 March 2026

• India sealed a 1-0 win to reserve their seat at FIH Women’s World Cup
• Manisha’s 40^th-minute strike powered India into the WC Qualifies final
• Strong Indian defence and a crucial save denied Italy’s late push for an equaliser

A decisive third-quarter penalty-corner strike by Manisha Chauhan enabled India to edge past Italy 1-0 in a tightly contested semi-final. This set the stage for a marquee title clash with England in the FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers on Friday.

In the turning events, Midfielder Manisha delivered the match-defining breakthrough in the 40^th minute in the nail biting match. India intensified their attack in the second quarter with several penalty corners, securing two early penalty corners in the final quarter in an attempt to strengthen their lead. In response, Italy answered with resilient defending to keep the score line unchanged.

Navneet Kaur’s 18th-minute attempt was saved by Lucia Ines Caruso, while Salima Tete’s 27th-minute strike was cleared off the line and another chance in the 29th went wide. Italy threatened early in the second half, but Bichu Devi Kharibam made a crucial save.

India, who was already, guaranteed a World Cup spot in the event that will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15-30. In the second quarter, the hosts gained the initiative with good runs from the flanks and attacks into the circles.

At the end of the match, Italy was observed to have pushed hard to score and level the match, which resulted in the penalty corner in the 59th minute. India defended solidly to deny the equalizing goal