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Harmanpreet Singh-led India’s men’s hockey team will take on Argentina in a crucial Phase 2 encounter at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Monday, with their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Hockey World Cup hanging by a thread. India’s 1-3 defeat to the Netherlands in their opening Pool E match left them with no room for another slip-up.

Argentina’s 3-1 win over England on Saturday, however, has kept India’s qualification hopes alive. The result ensured that the second semi-final spot remains up for grabs, giving India an outside chance of progressing to the last four if they can produce a convincing performance against Argentina.

But what does India’s qualification scenario ahead of the Argentina game look like? Take a look.

Pool E situation at the moment

India qualified for Pool E for the second phase alongside England, Netherlands and Argentina, with England and Netherlands carrying over their three points from Phase 1 wins over fellow qualifiers from their respective pools, i.e., India and Argentina.

On the first match day of Pool E on Saturday, Netherlands beat India 3-1 and almost put an end to their hopes of finishing in the top four before Argentina’s 3-1 win over England put them back in the race with a tough but possible chance.

Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026: Pool E points table

India’s qualification scenarios

Win vs Argentina

If India want to book their place in the semi-finals, they will have to win their final game against Argentina at any cost. And not just a win — they will have to win their game by at least a three-goal margin.

At the moment, India have 0 points with a -4 goal difference, while Argentina, with three points, have a goal difference of 0. For India to level Argentina on points and edge past them on goal difference, they will have to win the game by at least a three-goal margin. That will take India’s goal difference to -1 and Argentina’s to -3, which will keep them in semi-final contention.

A win vs Argentina with a goal difference of less than three will eliminate India on the spot.

Moreover, India will need to better their winning margin to four goals if they wish to ease some pressure from Netherlands, as England also have a goal difference of 0. For India to edge past them, they will need to beat Argentina by four goals to keep themselves a little ahead in the race.

Loss or draw vs Argentina

If India fail to beat Argentina in their final Pool E game on Monday, they will be eliminated even before Netherlands and England take the field for their match later on the day.

A loss will leave India with 0 points, while a draw will take them to one point, with all the other teams already having more points than that to their account.

India will need favour from Netherlands

If India manage to win their game against Argentina by a goal margin of three or more, that will still not put them into the semi-finals directly, as they will need help from Netherlands to qualify.

A win vs Argentina with a three-goal margin will put India at three points with a goal difference of -1. India will then hope that Netherlands beat England by at least two goals so that England will finish their second phase with three points and a -2 goal difference.

If India beat Argentina by four goals, they will stand at three points and a 0 goal difference, in which case Harmanpreet and Co. will be through to the next round with just a Netherlands win, irrespective of goal difference.

A draw or win for England over Netherlands will also knock India out of the race.

India women’s hockey team coach Sjoerd Marijne admitted nerves got the better of his side in its goalless draw against Australia, adding that reaching the fifth-sixth place playoff at the World Cup is still a significant achievement. India succumbed to the pressure of a must-win match and were knocked out of semifinal contention after being held to a goalless draw by Australia on Sunday.

“It looked like there were nerves. We didn’t play the game we wanted to play. It was not fluent, there was no rhythm in the passing and receiving and there were a lot of unforced errors,” Marijne told PTI after the draw.

“It’s not that we can’t do it, but I don’t know why we couldn’t do it. We know we can do much better than this. Everyone is very disappointed.” India will now play the fifth-sixth place classification match, a position Marijne believes the team can take pride in reaching after making significant progress in recent months.

“But if you had said five or six months ago that we were going to play the fifth-sixth position match, nobody would believe us. I also told the girls that we really need to learn from this,” he said.

The Dutchman said India’s inability to convert their opportunities proved costly in a game where only a win would have kept their semifinal hopes alive.

“This was our first setback. We didn’t lose and holding Australia to a draw is also a positive, although we needed to win this. In these kinds of matches you have to be there and avail the chances you get.

“You need to score goals to win matches, which didn’t happen against Australia,” he said.

Marijne identified penalty-corner conversion and composure in front of goal as the key areas India need to improve.

“Defensively, we were very well structured and organised. The team was very disciplined and stayed on task. The major takeaway from the tournament is converting PCs and the opportunities we get. We need to be a little more calm in scoring positions around the goalkeeper,” he said.

India’s best performance at the Women’s World Cup remains their fourth-place finish in 1974, when the Ajinder Kaur-led side narrowly missed out on a medal in France.

Marijne said the team’s latest achievement should be viewed in that context.

“I told the girls that we are all disappointed, but we are going to play the fifth-sixth position match, which is also historical. We have reached this position after many decades. We also need to find out why we couldn’t do it today.” The coach also drew parallels with India’s experience after their quarterfinal defeat to Ireland at the 2018 World Cup, saying lessons from difficult matches can prove valuable at major tournaments.

“I remember that we lost the quarterfinal in 2018 against Ireland in London, but we learnt a lot from that match. In Tokyo 2021, we played against them and won. So the learnings will be useful for the future.

“We can’t change the result, but I am still very proud of the girls. We win together, we lose together and we draw together. Everyone gave their best. I am always proud of them,” said Marijne.

India now have three days to regroup before their classification match, with Marijne planning to use the break to analyse their performance against Australia.

“We played a lot of matches this week. We will see the match and analyse where we can do better. That’s the way we will go into the next match,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Yamal Laughs At Paredes vs Gavi ‘Fight Of The Year’ Poster During Parade

The draws ceremony for the Troost-Ekong Foundation Secondary Schools Football Tournament will take place today, Monday, August 24, 2026, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am, with all participating teams expected to be unveiled during the event.

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong is hosting the tournament as part of his efforts to support youth development and create opportunities for young football talents in Akwa Ibom State.

The competition is organised by the Troost-Ekong Foundation in partnership with the Akwa Ibom State Football Association (AKSFA).

Eight teams will take part in the tournament across the male and female categories, with two trophies to be won. The competition will feature six matches and provide an opportunity for more than 70 young footballers to showcase their talents.

The matches will be played at the Uyo Township Stadium, with the competition beginning on August 27. Further matches are scheduled for August 28, while the grand finale will take place on September 1, 2026.

The tournament is aimed at identifying and developing talented young footballers while giving secondary school students the chance to compete, gain experience and build their confidence through sport.

Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Elder Paul Bassey, is expected to attend the grand finale.

An invitation to the Commissioner was presented at his office on August 17 by Mr Bernard Ekong, a member of the tournament’s Board of Trustees.

The Troost-Ekong Foundation Secondary Schools Football Tournament is expected to bring together some of the state’s most promising young football talents and give them a platform to dream bigger through football.

Manchester City are looking to secure a deal for Brazilian winger Allan Elias but Palmeiras are holding out for the fee they want

Palmeiras have warned Manchester City that they will not be able to buy winger Allan on the cheap as they look to replace Savinho. The Blues are making progress to seal a deal for the 22-year-old in the final days of the transfer window but there remains work to do.

Allan has a €100m release clause but City are hoping to complete a deal for less than half of that fee, having been encouraged that Palmeiras will be receptive to a deal. The winger played for the Brazilian club on Sunday evening against Vasco da Gama though and coach Abel Ferreira spoke afterwards about the value in the player the Blues are trying to sign.

“These teams want a player like Allan because 90 per cent of wingers don’t do what he does, which is attack and defend. They’re going to have to pay. I know how Manchester City plays,” he said. “At Chelsea, there’s a player named Pedro Neto: if they want to go after him, they’re going to have to pay 100 million euros.

“Top teams don’t buy half a player, they buy players who attack and defend. When one comes along who can track back the entire time, play as a right-back – as was the case against Miami – slot into a back three out wide and drift inside for rotations, as happened today with [Agustin] Giay, everyone wants that kind of player. But you have to educate them, develop them and, if necessary, lose a few games along the way.”

Meanwhile, City have agreed a fee for Ayyoub Bouaddi with Lille to bolster their midfield. The total package is worth £85m (€100m) as City have ultimately paid what the French club wanted from the start in order to bring in another key signing.

Elliot Anderson is already through the door for a club record £116m and started the 2-1 win over Bournemouth, but his partner in midfield for the game was centre-back Marc Guehi as coach Enzo Maresca searches for the right combination with Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders gone and Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic unfancied.

Twitch star Kai Cenat has spoken up about the viral GTA 6 leaks and has vowed to become the first-ever person to fully finish the game once it releases in November 2026. During a livestream on August 22, 2026, the content creator’s attention was drawn to his Twitch chat, where viewers claimed that the viral GTA 6 leaker, CyberLeek, had allegedly mentioned him.

For context, on August 21, 2026, alleged Telegram messages went viral on X, suggesting that CyberLeek claimed that popular streamers such as Kai Cenat, Darren “IShowSpeed,” and Adin Ross “already played GTA 6,” and that they “already got contracts” with Rockstar Games to “perma promote GTA 6.”

However, these Telegram messages were later debunked, as an X Community Note stated the following:

“This Telegram is not the real one from Cyberleek. The only correct TG is this one… and no other. The others are impostors.”

At the 12-minute-27-second mark of the livestream, the two-time Streamer of the Year award winner stated that he had not seen any GTA 6 leaks because he was “committed to the actual game”:

“‘GTA 6 leaker mentioned you.’ What are you even talking about, bro? I don’t even, bro, what?! What do you mean, he mentioned me? I haven’t even seen one GTA 6 leak because I am so… what’s that word? Committed to the actual game. You know?”

Kai Cenat then expressed his intention to become the “first person ever in the world” to do a 100% playthrough of GTA 6:

“Y’all do know, in GTA 6, I will be the first person ever in the world to 100% the game. Okay, chat? Facts or nah? Facts or nah? But we’re going to do it at a pace that is natural and pure. Okay?”

Timestamp – 00:12:27

Kai Cenat previously claimed he would have “unlimited time” to play GTA 6

On August 6, 2026, a 54-second video from Kai Cenat’s Just Chatting livestream went viral on X, in which he discussed his plans to play GTA 6 24/7, claiming that he would have “unlimited time” to enjoy the open-world game.

He elaborated:

“I promise, y’all, the day GTA 6 drops, I don’t know when I am getting off-stream. Yo, genuinely, when I say this – I don’t know when I am getting off. Hey, I get unlimited time, bro! Like, it’s going to be unlimited! And, honestly, when GTA drops, bro, y’all should be playing it, bro. Go and enjoy GTA 6.”

Kai Cenat made headlines on August 13, 2026, when he and IShowSpeed completed their Minecraft hardcore marathon after defeating all bosses in the survival game.