Stage Set for Oriental Cup 2026 Grand Finale as New Champions Await

The grand finale, scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium, will be graced by former Indian men’s hockey captain and coach Sardar Singh as the Chief Guest

Rakesh Thapliyal 

New Delhi: The stage is set for an exciting finale at the fourth edition of the Oriental Cup 2026 after an action-packed Day 7 witnessed the Boys’ and Girls’ categories semi-finals at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium on Wednesday.

With places in the title clashes at stake, the day featured high-intensity football, closely contested encounters and standout individual performances, highlighted by a sensational hat-trick from Modern School’s Dhwani Bidada. At the end of the day’s proceedings, Modern School and Bharti Public School secured their places in the Girls’ final, while Step by Step School, Noida and G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka emerged victorious in the Boys’ category to book their spots in the championship deciders.

With all four finalists reaching the title clash for the first time in the tournament’s history, the fourth edition is guaranteed to crown new champions in both the Boys’ and Girls’ categories. The grand finale, scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium, will be graced by former Indian men’s hockey captain and coach Sardar Singh as the Chief Guest.

Bharti Public School became the first finalists in the Girls’ category after producing a dominant display to defeat Step by Step School, Noida 4-0 in the opening semi-final. Yashika gave her side the perfect start with goals in the 11th and 15th minutes before Nitika added two more in the 19th and 27th minutes. Scoring twice in each half, Bharti Public School sealed an emphatic victory to progress to the title clash.

The first Boys’ semi-final saw Step by Step School, Noida edge past Delhi Public School, Vasant Vihar 1-0 in a closely fought contest. Both teams created several scoring opportunities while remaining compact defensively, but the decisive moment came in the 21st minute when Vansh Gulati found the back of the net. His strike proved enough to send Step by Step School into their maiden Oriental Cup final.

The second Boys’ semi-final produced the most dramatic contest of the day as G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka defeated Mother’s International School, Delhi in a penalty shootout after the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Following a goalless first half, Dhruv Tuli handed Mother’s International School the lead in the 30th minute before Aayan Naik restored parity six minutes later with a superb strike. With neither side able to find the winner, the match was decided from the spot, where G.D. Goenka held their nerve to prevail 5-4 in the shootout (6-5 overall) and secure their place in the final.

The day’s proceedings concluded with Modern School producing another commanding performance to defeat Vasant Valley School 4-0 in the second Girls’ semi-final. Dhwani Bidada continued her outstanding form by scoring a sensational hat-trick with goals in the 12th, 35th and 36th minutes, while Keerti Panchal added another in the 23rd minute. Modern School controlled the contest throughout to comfortably book their place in the Girls’ final.

The fourth edition of the Oriental Cup 2026 will conclude on Thursday, July 16, with the much-awaited Grand Finals in the Boys’ and Girls’ categories, along with exhibition matches with two NGO teams STRIVE and MIMA, in both boys and girls category , bringing the curtain down on an exciting week of school football at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium.

The tournament has featured more than 1,500 student-athletes representing over 45 teams from across Delhi-NCR. This year’s edition also boasts a more than doubled prize pool along with a ₹2.5 lakh scholarship programme for 10 deserving student-athletes.

The fourth edition is supported by Oriental Structural Engineers Pvt. Ltd. as the Title Sponsor, with Nivia Sports as the Football Partner, Ocean Beverages as the Hydration Partner and Central Park Resorts as an Associate Partner.

Match Day 7 Results

Boys’ Category

· Step by Step School, Noida 1-0 Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj

· G.D. Goenka School, Dwarka 1 (5)-1 (4) Mother’s International School, Delhi (G.D. Goenka won 5-4 on penalties)

Girls’ Category

· Bharti Public School 4-0 Step by Step School, Noida

· Modern School 4-0 Vasant Valley School.