Sukhjeet Singh scores twice as India end their Hockey World Cup pool campaign against Argentina

India's final Pool E match at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands ended in a 5-3 result in Argentina's favour, closing out the group stage for both sides. The match was one of the most searched sports topics in India on the day it was played.

Sukhjeet Singh was India's standout, scoring in the opening quarter and again late in the match, while captain Harmanpreet Singh's side pulled another back through Hardik Singh from a penalty stroke in the closing minute. Argentina scored early through Joaquin Toscani and stayed ahead across the game, with Tomas Domene contributing a brace.

The result means India will not feature in the semi-finals and move instead into the classification stage, where they are scheduled to play Belgium for seventh and eighth place. Argentina, one of the more consistent sides in world hockey, continue in the upper half of the draw. For Indian supporters, the takeaway from the pool stage is a young forward line that kept creating chances, with the classification match offering a chance to finish the tournament on a positive note.