Every hockey-mad household in India knows the number: 1975. That’s the last time India’s men lifted the World Cup, and it remains the benchmark against which every modern squad is measured.
## 1975: the only title
India beat Pakistan in a tense final in Kuala Lumpur to win their only Hockey World Cup title. Ajitpal Singh’s team remains the gold standard, and every subsequent generation has chased that same feat, including the current squad, whose path is mapped out in our [road to the final](india-hockey-world-cup-2026-road-to-final) piece.
## 1971 and 1973: the early medals
Before the title, India collected a bronze in the inaugural 1971 World Cup in Barcelona and a silver in 1973, establishing the team as an early powerhouse of the tournament.
## 2026: a new record for the women
While the men’s team chases history, India’s women wrote a new chapter of their own this year with a 6-1 win over South Africa, their biggest-ever margin of victory at a World Cup. It’s a signature moment in a squad that has never won a World Cup medal, detailed further in our [India squad guide](hockey-world-cup-2026-india-squad).
## 2026: ending the Pakistan hoodoo, again
India’s 5-3 win over Pakistan this year, their first World Cup meeting in 16 years, adds another data point to a rivalry explored in depth in our piece on [why India vs Pakistan hockey matters so much](india-vs-pakistan-hockey-rivalry-explained). Full detail on that match is in our [match analysis](india-vs-pakistan-hockey-world-cup-2026-match-analysis).
## The pattern worth watching
– 1971: Bronze
– 1973: Silver
– 1975: Gold
– 2026: A fresh shot at ending the 51-year wait
For the complete story of how India got here, read our explainer on [India’s full Hockey World Cup history](india-hockey-world-cup-history-explained).