India must beat Pakistan to keep semi-final hopes alive after 2-4 loss to England
India's men's hockey team lost 2-4 to England in their second Pool D match on Monday at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026, surrendering a 2-1 half-time lead after conceding three second-half goals. The defeat leaves India needing a win over Pakistan in their final pool game to avoid elimination from the tournament.
India opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Wales and entered the England match second in Pool D, but the loss has tightened the group standings. England top the table with six points, India sit on three, while Wales and Pakistan have one point each; the top two teams from each pool advance to the second round and the bottom two move into 9th-16th classification matches.
England winger Nicholas Bandurak opened the scoring before India responded through Dilpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh, who scored in the 17th and 25th minutes respectively to give India a 2-1 lead at half-time. Those two goals restored an Indian advantage after Bandurak's initial strike.
England seized control after the break, scoring twice in the third quarter and adding a further goal in the final quarter. Bandurak finished with two goals, while Stuart Rashmere and Henry Croft also found the net as England completed a 4-2 victory.
The group permutations are straightforward: a Pakistan win would eliminate India regardless of other results, while a draw in the India–Pakistan game would leave India reliant on Wales failing to beat or drawing with England. If Wales were to beat England, goal difference could decide which side finishes second in Pool D.
Should India qualify for the second round, they will face the other qualified team from their pool and the top two teams from Pool A (Netherlands & Argentina likely); those four teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals and the remaining pair contesting 5th-8th classification places.
India will next meet Pakistan in their last Pool Stage match on August 19 (Wednesday); avoiding defeat in that fixture is necessary to confirm progression to the next stage, after which India must finish in the top two of the second round pool to reach the semi-finals.