Pakistan’s World Cup journey ends with 5-3 defeat to India

AMSTELVEEN: Pakistan’s journey at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 came to an end on Wednesday after India defeated the Green Shirts 5-3 at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen.

The defeat ended Pakistan’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage and brought a disappointing conclusion to a campaign in which the Green Shirts failed to register a single victory.

Pakistan had earlier lost 1-4 to England and played out a 3-3 draw against Wales. With only one point from their first two matches, Pakistan needed a victory against traditional rivals India to keep their World Cup campaign alive.

India, however, produced a stronger performance and secured their place in the knockout stage.

India dominate opening stages

India started the match strongly and put Pakistan under pressure from the opening minutes.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring through a penalty corner in the first quarter before Abhishek doubled India’s advantage.

Pakistan were unable to respond during the opening period and India finished the first quarter with a 2-0 lead.

The second quarter followed a similar pattern. Harmanpreet Singh scored his second goal of the match from a rebound following a penalty corner to make it 3-0.

Pakistan eventually responded through Hannan Shahid, who pulled one goal back.

India, however, restored their three-goal advantage soon afterwards when Abhishek scored again to make it 4-1.

Pakistan then converted their first penalty corner of the match through Sufyan, reducing the deficit to 4-2 before the end of the second quarter.

India maintain control

India continued to control the contest after the interval.

A penalty stroke gave India another opportunity in the third quarter, which they converted to extend their lead to 5-2.

Pakistan continued to search for goals, but India managed to protect their advantage.

In the fourth quarter, Hannan Shahid scored his second goal of the match and Pakistan’s third, reducing the deficit to 5-3.

Despite Pakistan’s efforts during the closing stages, India held on to secure the victory.

Campaign without win

Pakistan’s World Cup campaign ended with one draw and two defeats.

The Green Shirts began their campaign with a 1-4 defeat against England before drawing 3-3 with Wales.

The result against Wales kept their qualification hopes alive, but Pakistan needed to defeat India in their final Group D match to progress.

That did not happen.

India’s victory gave them their second win of the tournament and secured their progression to the knockout stage.

Late preparation and uncertainty around Pakistan hockey

Pakistan’s World Cup campaign also came against the backdrop of significant issues surrounding the national hockey setup.

The team’s preparation began relatively late, with the main training phase coming close to the World Cup rather than following a long, uninterrupted preparation programme.

This limited the amount of time available for the players to work together and develop tactical combinations before the tournament.

Pakistan hockey also faced administrative uncertainty in the months leading up to the World Cup, with issues surrounding the federation and management adding to the difficulties surrounding the national team.

The combination of late preparation and uncertainty around the hockey administration formed an important part of the background to Pakistan’s World Cup campaign.

Pakistan showed attacking potential

Despite the defeat, Pakistan managed to score three goals against India.

Hannan Shahid scored twice, while Sufyan also found the net from a penalty corner.

The three goals demonstrated that Pakistan were capable of creating scoring opportunities, particularly as the match progressed.

However, India’s five goals proved decisive.

The early 2-0 deficit and subsequent 4-1 scoreline left Pakistan chasing the game for long periods.

End of Pakistan’s World Cup campaign

The 5-3 defeat brought Pakistan’s World Cup journey to an end in Amstelveen.

India advanced to the knockout stage, while Pakistan returned home without a victory from their three group matches.

For Pakistan, the tournament produced one draw, two defeats and eight goals conceded across the campaign.

The final match against India reflected many of the characteristics of Pakistan’s tournament: periods of attacking quality and fighting spirit, but also defensive vulnerabilities and an inability to establish control against stronger opposition.

Pakistan’s World Cup campaign has therefore ended, with the Green Shirts unable to progress beyond the group stage after their defeat against their traditional rivals.