That's a wrap for our coverage of the Pool E encounter between India and Argentina. India's hopes of World Cup glory ends on a disappointing note. One more match remains for both the men's and women's team in the tournament.

Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live and latest sports updates. Goodbye!

Out of five games at the Men's Hockey World Cup 2026, India managed just two wins, against Wales and Pakistan in the first round. India failed to beat a single opponent ranked higher than them, losing to England, Netherlands and Argentina.

India end rock bottom in Pool E, with zero points from their three games. They lost 4-2 to England in the first round, and then suffered 2-0 and 5-3 defeats to Netherlands and Argentina respectively. The 2024 Olympics bronze medalists bow out.

India bow out of Hockey World Cup contention. They finish dead-last in Pool E after losses to England, Netherlands and Argentina. Harmanpreet Singh and co. will compete in the 7th-place match against co-hosts Belgium in a few days. 

A disappointing day for India, as they were firmly outplayed by Argentina today.

FULL TIME! Argentina defeat India 5-3 in their final Pool E match in Amstelveen. The result strengthens Argentina's semi-final chances as they go up to second spot for the time being. India are out!

FT | IND 3-5 ARG

The Indian Men's Team went down 3-5 against Argentina in their last Pool E clash at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026 to bow out of contention for a place in the semi-finals.

Sukhjeet Singh scored twice, while Hardik Singh added a third goal for India.... pic.twitter.com/6WxztSEBVe

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 24, 2026

GOOOAAALLLL! India make it 3-5! India win a penalty in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Hardik Singh steps up for the penalty and slams it in! 

Q4 15' IND 3-5 ARG

GOOOAAALLL! India score their second! Mandeep Singh with a powerful shot from outside the D, and it seems like Sukhjeet Singh got the final touch as the ball made it's way in. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late.

Q4 14' IND 2-5 ARG

India have had five penalty corner opportunities in the second half, but they've managed to convert none of them. It has been a really, really disappointing day at the office for India.

Q4 12' IND 1-5 ARG

GOOOAAALLLL! It's five for Argentina! Lucas Toscani slams in Argentina's fifth goal of the match in the final quarter. Surely that is game, set and match. India on the brink of a sorry exit from the semi-final race.

Q4 8' IND 1-5 ARG

Argentina with a long ball from the back to Bautista Capurro, with India's defence out of position. Capurro goes through on goal and takes a shot on his back foot, but ends up slicing it wide.

Q4 3' IND 1-4 ARG

The fourth and final quarter is underway in Amstelveen. Will India be able to launch a stunning comeback? They need some early goals in this quarter to do so.

Q4 1' IND 1-4 ARG

End of the third quarter! Argentina are on the verge of a great victory, and India's World Cup semi-final hopes are about to end bar a miraculous comeback. Two goals from Tomas Domene in the third quarter to solidify Argentina's lead.

End of Q3 | IND 1-4 ARG

GOOOOAAAALLLL! Argentina convert from a penalty stroke! Two massive saves made by India's goalkeeper Mohith HS to deny Argentina after defensive blunders, but a third shot hits an Indian outfielder on the foot, and Argentina win a penalty stroke.

Tomas Domene steps up and hammers it in!

Q3 15' IND 1-4 ARG

A low cross from the left wing from India reaches Dilpreet, who is standing right in front of the Argentina goal. Dilpreet opts for a cheeky flick to try and put it in, but it goes just wide. Head in hands for Dilpreet.

Q3 7' IND 1-3 ARG

GOOOOAAAALLLL! Argentina score again! More misery for India, as Tomas Domene hammers in a powerful shot into the net to score Argentina's third. India need a miracle from here.

Q3' 3' IND 1-3 ARG

We are back! The second half is underway in Amstelveen, in the crucial Pool E clash between India and Argentina. Remember, India need to win by at least two goals to stay alive in the semi-final race.

Q3' 1' IND 1-2 ARG

India have been lacking offensively so far against Argentina, and have not managed to win a single penalty corner yet. That has meant that India have been unable to use their main goalscoring weapon: captain Harmanpreet Singh's PC drag-flicks.

HALF TIME! The hooter goes to signal the end of the second quarter and mark half-time in Amstelveen. After a frantic first half, the second half has been much quieter and neither team has managed a goal. 

India still need to pull off a big comeback in order to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

HT | IND 1-2 ARG

The Indian Men's Team head into the break 1-2 against Argentina in this Round 2 Pool E clash at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026.

Sukhjeet Singh has got us on the scoresheet. Plenty still to play for in the next two quarters. #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame... pic.twitter.com/diLePhDmby

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 24, 2026

India won the ball back and had a chance to launch a counter-attack, but the pass forward from the back was poor and allowed Argentina's defence to intercept despite being out of position. India need to be more decisive in this regard.

Q2' 9' IND 1-2 ARG

A couple of poor passes in the opposition half by India. Captain Harmanpreet Singh first with a poor pass from the wing. Seconds later, some nice dribbling in the midfield from India but then a poor pass once Argentina's defence close down.

Q2 4' IND 1-2 ARG

The second quarter is underway. India would surely be desperate to get their second goal and head into the break on level terms at least.

Q2 1' IND 1-2 ARG

And breathe! A frantic first quarter of hockey comes to an end. India nearly made a mistake at the back in the final seconds. They went one goal down in 39 seconds, two down not long after, but Sukhjeet's goal has kept the men in saffron alive, for now.

End of Q1 | IND 1-2 ARG

GOOOAAAALLLLLLL! Sukhjeet pulls one back for India! India reduce the deficit to Argentina. It's a crucial, crucial goal. Pass from the left to Sukhjeet in the D, the forward dribbles around his marker and then hammers it in!

Q1 10' IND 1-2 ARG

GOOOAAALLL! Argentina two goals up! Disarray at the back for India and Argentina win a penalty corner. And they convert from it! Nicolas de la Torre with a brilliant drag-flick to fire Argentina to a two-goal lead.

Q1 7' IND 0-2 ARG

It has been all Argentina in the opening five minutes of the first quarter. They win another penalty corner too, but India manage to defend. Argentina have come out of the blocks way sharper than India.

Q1 5' IND 0-1 ARG

GOOOOAAALLLL! Argentina stun India! They take the lead after just 39 seconds of play in the first quarter! Joaquin Toscani nets the goal from the left post, catching India's defence unawares. 

India have a steep mountain to climb now.

Q1 1' IND 0-1 ARG

WE ARE LIVE! The first quarter is underway in the all-important Pool E clash between India and Argentina!

Q1 1' IND 0-0 ARG

Play is about to begin! The two on-field umpires walk out into the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, and then the players make their entry as fireworks go up. A fair amount of support for India in the arena!

We are less than 10 minutes away from the scheduled start time of the India-Argentina clash. Stay tuned, action coming up shortly!

Yesterday, the Indian women's hockey team crashed out of the semi-final race of the Women's Hockey World Cup 2026 after a 0-0 draw with Australia. They finished on the same points and goal difference as the Aussies, but lost out on goals for.

India's women's team will compete in the fifth place match.

Here's India's starting XI for their final Pool E match against Argentina:

Here's your Indian Men's Team Starting XI for the must-win Round 2 clash against Argentina in Pool E at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026.

Just over 30 minutes to pushback!

Star Sports Select 2 (SD HD) Khel &... pic.twitter.com/lbSMx1DFQo

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 24, 2026

A major concern for India in the ongoing competition has been their inability to convert possession into proper goal-scoring chances. Even in the match against Netherlands, they looked comfortable with the ball in possession but the lack of chances meant that they were outplayed by the opponent. While India struggled with their finishing, Netherlands won the match by scoring thrice.

India need at least a four-goal swing between their result and England's for them to qualify for the semifinals. If India win 3-1 against Argentina, they would have scored six goals and conceded eight. In that case, if England lose 0-2, they would have scored five goals and conceded seven. India would go through on the basis of having scored more goals.

Under the new World Cup format, the top two teams from Pool E will advance to the semifinals. The Netherlands have already secured their place in the last four with six points. For India, the path will be anything by simple.

Here are what needs to happen for India to qualify for the Hockey World Cup 2026:

- India need to win by at least two goals against Argentina today to leapfrog them in goals for and goal difference
- India need England to lose to Netherlands by three goals or more; a two-goal loss for England also works as long as England's goals for is less than India's

India currently sit bottom of Pool E in the second round, after losses against both England and Netherlands. Their goal difference of -4 is a big problem, as a small win won't be enough to boost that. 

A very warm welcome to one and all to a very, very important match in the Men's Hockey World Cup 2026. India must secure a big win over Argentina in their Pool E clash in order to stay alive in the semi-final running.

Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the match.