India beat South Korea 4-1 to win a record sixth Junior Hockey Asia Cup title and secure qualification for the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup.
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India men clinch record-extending sixth Junior Hockey Asia Cup title(Credit: Hockey India)
India’s junior men’s hockey team continued its strong run in the continental tournament by winning a record sixth Junior Men’s Asia Cup titleThe young Indian side defeated South Korea 4-1 in the final at the Moqi Training Base on Sunday.
The victory also helped India qualify for the FIH Junior Hockey World CupIt was another dominant display from the defending champions, who controlled most of the final and gave South Korea very little room to fight back.
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Junior Hockey Asia Cup 2026: India beat Malaysia as Anmol Ekka leads defending champions into final
India wasted little time in taking control of the matchAjeet Yadav gave the Indian team the lead early on when he scored in the ninth minute.
Just four minutes later, Anmol Ekka found the back of the net to make it 2-0India finished the opening quarter with a comfortable lead and looked firmly in charge.
The Indian players continued to put pressure on the Korean defence after the first breakTheir attacking play again produced a result when Prabhdeep Singh scored in the 21st minute.
India were already 3-0 up so it was always going to be tough for South Korea to get back into the gameThe Indians, however, continued to control the pace and went into half-time with a three-goal cushion.
Ashu Maurya seals India’s victory
South Korea needed a quick response after the break, but India remained disciplined at both ends of the pitch.
The Korean side, which had won the Junior Men’s Asia Cup in 2000, struggled to create enough clear chances against India’s defenceIndia eventually added another goal in the 50th minute, with Ashu Maurya making it 4-0.
With only 10 minutes left, South Korea were four goals behind and needed an extraordinary comeback to change the result.
Lee Minhyeok finally gave the Korean side something to cheer about when he scored in the 54th minuteHowever, the goal came too late to put real pressure on India.
The Indian team held on comfortably in the closing minutes to complete a 4-1 victory and lift the continental trophy once again.
India extend dominance in Asia Cup
This was India’s sixth Junior Men’s Asia Cup title and their fourth consecutive triumph in the competitionIndia had previously won the tournament in 2004, 2008, 2015, 2023 and 2024.
The latest success further strengthened India’s position as the most successful team in the history of the men’s competitionPakistan are second with three titles, while South Korea and Malaysia have won the tournament once each.
India’s fourth straight title also moved them ahead of Pakistan, who had previously held the record for three consecutive championships.
Hockey India rewards Junior Men’s Team
Hockey India has rewarded the Indian Junior Men’s Team for successfully defending their AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026 titleEach player will receive a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh, while every member of the support staff will be given Rs 1.5 lakh for their contribution to the team’s outstanding campaignIndia’s back-to-back title triumph has also secured their qualification for the FIH Junior World Cup.
India Women also win Junior Asia Cup
India’s success in the men’s tournament came shortly after another title for the country’s junior hockey programme.
Earlier, India’s junior women’s team defeated China 1-0 in the Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup finalIt was India’s third consecutive title in the women’s competition.
The result also put India level with China and South Korea as the most successful teams in the history of the women’s tournament.
