Women’s Hockey Asia Cup roll of honour: Japan, South Korea dominate with three titles each
India and China, with two titles each, are the two other nations to have won the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup.
The Women’s Hockey Asia Cup is the premier international women’s hockey tournament of the continent and has seen four teams reach the finals since it was first held in 1985.
At the latest edition in 2022, Japan defeated South Korea 4-2 in the final to win their third Women’s Hockey Asia Cup.
Both Japan and South Korea have now won the title thrice
South Korea were also the inaugural Women’s Hockey Asia Cup champions at home in Seoul in 1985. They won back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1999 and are the only nation to defend its title thus far.
The Indian women’s hockey team, meanwhile, missed the 1985 edition but have been a part of the competition ever since.
India have made four finals - winning in 2004 and 2017 while losing in 1999 and 2009.
The Indian team came third at the 2022 edition, defeating China 2-0 in the third-place playoff match. The Savita Punia-led side had lost to South Korea in the semis.
The top four teams from the Women’s Asia Cup 2022 - Japan, South Korea, India and China - qualified for the Women’s Hockey World Cup 2022.
China have also won the title two times -1989 and 2009. They defeated India in the 2009 summit-clash.
The number of teams competing at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup has varied but since 2013, it has been an eight-nation affair. The 2009 edition was the largest-ever, with 11 nations.
The Women’s Hockey Asia Cup followed a round-robin format in the first two editions (1985, 1989). Knockout matches started from the 1993 edition.
Since the knockout format was introduced, South Korea and Japan have also reached the final joint-most number of times (6).