India beat Pakistan 5-3 at FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 on August 19, knocking Pakistan out

India beat Pakistan 5-3 at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 on August 19, knocking Pakistan out of the tournament.

Cricket is often cited first in the sporting rivalry between India and Pakistan, but the two nations have also produced a long history of high-stakes hockey encounters that carry significant pride and emotion. For decades their matches across events such as the Olympics, World Cup and Asian Games have delivered tense finishes and intense competition. Since 2016 India have won 17 of the last 19 matches between the sides, with the other two ending in draws. Pakistan’s last win over India came in 2016 at the South Asian Games final, and Pakistan still lead the all-time head-to-head with 82 wins to India’s 70.

In the World Cup meeting on August 19, Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek scored two goals each for India, while Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke in the second half. Pakistan’s Hannan Shahid netted twice and Sufyan Khan added a drag-flick goal; Pakistan pushed hard in the final quarter and made the finish tense as India held on to secure their place in the second round.

At Lee Valley in London during the FIH Pro League, India beat Pakistan 7-1 on June 26, 2026, completing a double over their rivals after a 4-3 win earlier in the week. Pakistan captain Abu Bakar Mahmood scored first in the June 26 match, but seven different Indian players replied: Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Hardik Singh (penalty stroke), Jugraj Singh, Abhishek, Raj Kumar Pal and Dilpreet Singh.

India’s first-ever FIH Pro League meeting with Pakistan on June 23, 2026, at Lee Valley finished 4-3. Ahmad Nadeem gave Pakistan the lead before Abhishek, Nilakanta Sharma, Sukhjeet Singh and Rajinder Singh put India 4-1 up; Abu Mahmood pulled one back from a penalty corner and Moin Shakeel struck with just 14 seconds left, making the finish nervy. India moved up to seventh in the standings after that result and Manpreet Singh was named Player of the Match.

One report in the compiled record lists a 2-1 win for India in which they came from behind and Harmanpreet Singh scored twice, extending an unbeaten streak to 17 matches; the account described the game as tightly contested and noted Pakistan’s early lead before India turned the tide to secure the victory.

India’s 10-2 victory over Pakistan at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 (played in 2023) remains the two teams’ largest margin of victory. Harmanpreet Singh scored four goals, Varun Kumar added two, and Mandeep Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay also contributed to that emphatic win as India extended their unbeaten run in the tournament.

The August 19 World Cup result eliminated Pakistan from the competition and confirmed India’s place in the tournament’s second round; India’s Pro League results in June also produced a rise in the FIH Pro League standings.