India completed a remarkable junior hockey double on Sunday, September 13, as both the men's and women's teams won their respective Asia Cup titles in Moqi, China. The junior men beat South Korea 4-1 in the final, while the junior women defeated hosts China 1-0 earlier in the day.
The results gave India two continental titles on the same day and secured Junior World Cup qualification for both teams. The men's triumph was their record-extending sixth Junior Asia Cup crown and fourth in succession, while the women completed a hat-trick of consecutive titles.
India men's junior team beat South Korea 4-1
India's junior men delivered the more emphatic of Sunday's two final victories, defeating South Korea 4-1. The win made India the first team to claim four consecutive Men's Junior Asia Cup titles, adding the 2026 trophy to their wins in 2015, 2023 and 2024 in the recent championship sequence reported after the final.
It was also India's sixth men's title overall, extending their record in the competition. Ashu Maurya played a key role in the final as India turned a high-pressure title match into a convincing victory.
India women complete title hat-trick against China
The junior women's final was much tighter. India beat hosts China 1-0, with Sanika Chandrakant Mane scoring the decisive goal in the 17th minute. Mane found space close to goal and redirected a long ball into the circle past goalkeeper Xu Mengjiao.
India protected that lead for the rest of the match to finish the tournament unbeaten. The victory gave the women's side a third successive Junior Asia Cup title after their 2023 and 2024 successes.
Their path to the final had included several dominant performances. India beat Pakistan 19-0 in the quarterfinal and South Korea 5-1 in the semifinal, where Supriya scored a hat-trick. China had been one of the few teams able to contain India earlier in the competition, holding them to a goalless draw before the knockout stage, which made the narrow final especially significant.
Both India teams qualify for the Junior World Cup
Beyond the trophies, the most important competitive consequence is that both Indian teams secured places at their respective FIH Junior World Cups. Continental tournaments at junior level are a key part of the pathway into senior international hockey, so qualification gives India's next generation another major global tournament in which to develop.
For India, the double also underlines the depth being built across both programmes. Winning age-group tournaments does not guarantee senior success, but repeated continental results provide a useful measure of whether a country is consistently producing players capable of competing against Asia's strongest systems.
Hockey India announces cash rewards
Following the women's title, Hockey India announced cash rewards of ₹3 lakh for each player and ₹1.5 lakh for members of the support staff, according to reports after the final. The reward recognised a campaign in which India combined heavy scoring in several matches with the defensive discipline needed to protect a one-goal advantage against China.
Why India's Junior Asia Cup double matters
The men's and women's titles arriving within hours of each other make September 13 a notable day for India's junior hockey programme. The men reinforced a longer run of continental dominance with a record sixth crown, while the women showed they can win in contrasting ways, from the 19-goal quarterfinal rout of Pakistan to a tense 1-0 final against China.
Attention now shifts from Asia to the Junior World Cups. Those tournaments will provide a tougher benchmark against leading teams from Europe, Oceania and the Americas, and will offer several of these players an opportunity to push closer to senior national-team contention.
