Hockey World Cup: What India need to against Pakistan to qualify

India’s Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign suffered a major setback as they went down 4-2 to England in their second Pool D match on Monday.

India made a strong start after conceding an early goal to Bandurak. Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Dilpreet Singh found the net to put India 2-1 ahead at half-time. However, England produced a dominant second-half display, scoring three unanswered goals to complete the comeback.

Rushmere and Croft struck in the third quarter before Bandurak added his second goal in the final quarter to seal England’s 4-2 victory. India were made to pay for defensive lapses, while England were more clinical with their chances after the break.

The defeat leaves India with three points from two matches, following their opening 3-1 win over Wales. England sit at the top of Pool D with six points, while Pakistan and Wales have one point apiece after their 3-3 draw earlier on Monday.

India will now face Pakistan in their final Pool D match on Wednesday, with qualification for the second round at stake.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the second round, while the bottom two will move into the 9th-16th classification matches.

A victory against Pakistan would take India to six points, ensuring a top-two finish regardless of the result between England and Wales. Wales can reach a maximum of four points even if they defeat England, meaning India would qualify automatically.

A draw would take India to four points. In that scenario, India would qualify if England beat or draw with Wales.

However, if Wales defeat England, both India and Wales would finish on four points, with the second qualification spot then decided by goal difference.

India currently have a goal difference of zero, compared with -2 for Wales and -3 for Pakistan.

A defeat would leave India on three points and Pakistan on four, meaning India could no longer finish in the top two, regardless of the England-Wales result.