India beat Pakistan 5-3 in their final Pool D match of the Hockey World Cup 2026 on Wednesday. The victory ended a 16-year wait for a World Cup win over their arch-rivals. India sealed a top-two finish alongside England and qualified for the next round.
Harmanpreet Singh Stars With a Brace
Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 4th and 21st minutes for India. Abhishek also struck twice, finding the net in the 11th and 24th minutes. Hardik Singh added the fifth goal in the 35th minute.
Pakistan’s Fightback Falls Short
Hannan Shahid scored twice for Pakistan in the 22nd and 46th minutes. Sufyan Khan pulled one back in the 24th minute. Pakistan were knocked out of the tournament with this defeat.
How the Match Unfolded
India scored two goals in the first quarter. Both teams netted twice in the second quarter. India added one more in the third, while Pakistan struck early in the fourth. The clash carried huge weight for both sides in the semifinal race.
Group D Standings
India finished second in Pool D with six points. England topped the group after winning both their opening matches. India had beaten Wales 3-1 before losing 2-4 to England. Pakistan managed just one point from three games.
A Rivalry Renewed After 16 Years
The teams last met in a World Cup in 2010 in Delhi. Hosts India won that match 4-1 under captain Rajpal Singh. Pakistan missed the 2014 and 2023 World Cups. Since the 2016 South Asian Games final, the sides have met 19 times. India have won 17 of those matches, with two ending in draws.
The 10,000-capacity Wagener Stadium was sold out for the high-profile clash. India’s Aditya Lalage received a yellow card late in the match. India will now play in the next round of the tournament.
