'Have Identified What Needs To Be Focused On': Indian Hockey Team Starts Afresh After WC Disappointment

India are clubbed alongside Indonesia, hosts Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Pool A of the Asian Games 2026.

The Indian men’s hockey team wants to put behind the recent World Cup disappointment and turn the learning into action in its bid to defend its Asian Games title and directly qualify for 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, chief coach Craig Fulton said.

India had a challenging World Cup campaign in Netherlands and Belgium, where they finished a disappointing eighth, and Fulton’s sole focus now is on regrouping the side and defend its Asian Games crown.