India Suffer First Defeat Of Men's Hockey World Cup 2026, Lose 2-4 To England In Pool Clash

India conceded three second-half goals to suffer a 2-4 defeat to the higher-ranked England in their second pool match of the men's Hockey World Cup on Monday. Nicholas Bandurak put England ahead in the 13th minute but India fought back and took 2-1 lead through goals from captain Harmanpreet Singh (16th) and Dilpreet Singh (24th) in the Pool D match. The Englishmen, however, put up a dominant show in the second half, with Stuart Rushmere (38th) and Henry Croft (42nd) finding the net in the third quarter.

Bandurak (54th) then scored his second goal of the day to help England beat India 4-2.

With three points from two matches, India will need to either beat or draw Pakistan -- one point from two games -- in their final pool match on Wednesday to qualify for the second round.

A loss against Pakistan, will, however, knock India out of the tournament.

India had beaten Wales 3-1 in their campaign opener on Saturday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

Yamal Laughs At Paredes vs Gavi ‘Fight Of The Year' Poster During Parade