New Delhi, India, September 10, 2025: The Indian men’s hockey team were crowned Asia Cup 2025 champions after they beat Korea 4-1 in the final at the Rajgir Sports Complex in Bihar on Sunday, September 7.
With the win, India ended their eight-year wait to regain the title and qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. This was India’s fourth Asia Cup hockey win. Their last win came in 2017 in Dhaka.
Dilpreet Singh (28min, 45’), Sukhjeet Singh (1’) and Amit Rohidas (50’) scored the goals for India, while Son Dain (51’) scored Korea’s only goal of the final.
The tournament became a coming-of-age platform for several players. Rajinder Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Suraj Karkera showed they were ready to take the baton in this new Olympic cycle, especially with Hockey India already talking of rebuilding the squad.
The tournament also laid bare the gulf in Asian hockey. China showed flashes of ambition, while Malaysia, Japan and Korea pushed hard, but the gap to India was obvious.
India’s coach Craig Fulton said before the tournament began: “We intend to always be the number one team in Asia.” The squad backed the South African on the field, and Hockey India too is firmly in his corner, saying the job of head coach is Fulton's until the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and World Cup.