India win Men's Junior Hockey Asia Cup for fourth time in a row, beat South Korea in final

India defeated South Korea in the final to win the Men's Junior Hockey Asia Cup for the fourth time in a row.

Updated on: Sep 13, 2026, 18:11:19 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Indian men's team won the Junior Hockey Asia Cup on Sunday after beating South Korea 4-1 in the summit clash. This marked the fourth consecutive time that India brought the silverware home, having previously won the 2015, 2023, and 2024 editions of the tournament. With the 2026 Asia Cup win, India became the first team in the sport's history to win the competition four times in a row. Overall, this was the sixth time that India have emerged triumphant in the Men's Junior Hockey Asia Cup. Earlier in the day, the women's team had also won the competition after beating China 1-0 in the summit clash.

India defeated South Korea in the final to win the Men's Junior Hockey Asia Cup (Hockey India - X)

Both the Indian men's and women's teams also secured berths in the Junior World Cup following their victories in the Asia Cup.

Ajeet Yadav, a product of Uttar Pradesh Hockey, opened the scoring for India in the final, and his goal in the ninth minute of the first quarter gave the defending champions an early lead and momentum in the fixture.

Also Read: India beat China to win Junior Women's Asia Cup, Hockey India announce cash prize for players and support staff

By the time the halfway mark was reached, India had taken a 3-0 lead, sitting comfortably and well within sight of yet another title in the continental tournament. Ashu Maurya then helped India extend its lead to 4-0 by converting a penalty corner in the fourth and final quarter, as a listless South Korea struggled on all fronts. South Korea did manage to peg one goal back, but it was all too late, and India held its ground to win the final 4-1 to take the title home.

Prior to the final, India had won three games and drawn one to top the group, finishing one point ahead of the other finalist, South Korea. The semi-finals saw India beating Malaysia 3-1, while the other knockout tie saw South Korea outclassing Pakistan 4-1.

On Sunday, Pakistan won bronze after beating Malaysia 4-2 in the third-place playoff.

Cash Prize

Earlier, Hockey India announced a reward of INR 3 lakh for each player and INR 1.5 lakh for each member of the women's team's support staff for the triumph in the Asia Cup. As of now, no word has been issued on whether the men's team would also be awarded in the same way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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