"VAN" (Sports Desk - 15.06.2026) :: The FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2026 got underway in Auckland with all eight teams in action on opening day. The higher ranked sides got victories across all four matches, but each match was incredibly competitive, keeping things wide open heading into day two.
India and Japan won their opening matches over USA and Uruguay in Pool A, before Chile got on the board in Pool B with a win over France, and New Zealand gave the home fans plenty to cheer for in a thrilling 3-1 win over Korea in the final match of day one. Here’s how the matches of the opening day played out..
India 3-2 USA (Pool A)
The first half of the opening game saw the USA and India trade blows in a frantic start to the competition. USA dominated the opening quarter scoring twice, with Ashley Sessa opening with a field goal on a quick counter and Madeline Zimmer adding a second from a penalty corner deflection. India flipped the script in the second quarter with Deepika scoring twice from penalty corners, followed by Navneet Kaur adding a third from the set-piece, as the top-ranked side in the competition went into the break with a 3-2 lead.
India continued to dominate the second half, winning possession in the American half multiple times, but lacked the incisive final pass to add to the score. USA’s struggle to get out of their own half and create big chances, however, meant India’s missed chances in the second half did not hurt them, as the game ended with the same scoreline as the half time, with India taking all three points from the crucial opening fixture in Pool A.
Deepika was awarded player of the match for her game-changing brace and said: “It was tough to go down by 2 goals early, but our mentality is to never give up. Thanks to my teammates for constantly pushing forward and creating the penalty corners that enabled me to score.”
Japan 3-1 Uruguay (Pool A)
Japan made a rapid start to the second Pool A game with Mai Toriyama scoring inside the first minute, beating the Uruguayan goalkeeper one-on-one with a smart finish. Just two minutes later Uruguay’s inspirational captain Manuela Vilar provided the magic, setting up Lupe Curutchague to equalise. An even first thirty minutes almost saw the teams go level into the half, but Japan struck with a well-worked penalty corner variation, just as the half-time hooter sounded, to take the narrowest of leads into the break.
Chances were at a premium in the second half as the teams continued to battle for supremacy in the midfield. Uruguay ramped up the press in search of an equaliser, but once again it was Japan who made use of the space behind to score their third of the game in the final minute to secure the victory and three points.
Maho Segawa was awarded player of the match and said: “We struggled a bit in the first half to connect with each other, but we were better playing together in the second half. Tomorrow is another tough game (against India), but we will prepare for it and give our best.”
Chile 2-0 France (Pool B)
This first match of Pool B saw various scoring opportunities for both France and Chile, especially for the latter, within the first quarter. Chile scored from a penalty corner in the 11th minute, with captain Manuela Urroz sliding in with a swift deflection from the penalty spot, off a slapped shot from Denise Losada. The attacking impetus remained with Chile despite the lead, with the South American side garnering more circle penetrations and penalty corners. But resolute defending from the French side, along with a couple of deflections from the Diablas not finding the target, meant the teams went into the half-time break with the scoreline steady at 1-0.
France ramped up the pressure on the Chilean half as the second half rolled on. Paola le Nindre came the closest to scoring for the French in the 55th minute, after receiving an aerial ball in the circle and unleashing a cross hit, which narrowly missed the mark on the far post. With just a couple of minutes left to play however, Chile captain Manuela Urroz turned provider for Fernanda Arrieta, stealing possession at the half-line and bursting through the left, before crossing the ball to Arrieta who tapped the ball past the keeper adding the decisive second goal, sealing the win and 3 points.
Domenica Ananias was awarded the player of the match and said: “We are really happy with the result. It was a tough game but we are training really hard, so happy to get the result. Our attack, especially in transition, was really good today, so that is something that we carry forward from today onto the next game.”
New Zealand 3-1 Korea (Pool B)
Host New Zealand built early momentum, taking on Korea in the final game of the day. Attacking consistently in the first half, the Black Sticks secured an early penalty corner in the 5th minute but could not convert. A second set piece in the 10th minute provided the opening for the hosts, with Kaitlin Cotter scoring through a powerful flick to the right. Both teams prodded the opposition defence, but no further goals were scored in the second quarter as the score remained 1-0 heading into the half.
Thirty seconds into the second half, Korea equalized through a penalty corner goal by Jiyun Choi. Both teams pressed for a lead and New Zealand found it first through a Hannah Gravenall penalty corner goal. The Black Sticks added a third seconds later, capitalising on a defensive breakdown by Korea to launch a quick counter attack that was finished off by Hannah Cotter to seal the win and three crucial points for New Zealand.
Kaitlin Cotter was awarded player of the match and said: “I think overall the game went quite well for us. We lost momentum a little bit in the second half, but overall happy with the result, and we’ll make sure to focus a bit more on the channel defending going forward in the tournament.”
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