India v South Korea in Asian Champions Trophy semi-final at Mohali on October 4

India and South Korea meet in the semi-final of the Men's Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026 at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on October 4, with the match scheduled to start at 7 pm IST. The Indian side enter the knockout as defending champions seeking to progress to the title match.

The tournament shifts to Mohali after the league stage in Jalandhar, where India finished unbeaten with five wins, including an 8-0 victory over South Korea in their final pool game on Monday. India topped the table with 15 points, scoring 34 goals and conceding five across the league round. The hosts are chasing a sixth Asian Champions Trophy title, having previously won the tournament in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winners with Pakistan), 2023 and 2024.

This semi-final is the second meeting between the sides in three days; India also defeated Korea 8-2 at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in September while on their way to winning the gold medal, a result described as their biggest victory over Korea in the Games' history. Historically between the two teams, India have won four of their last five meetings with one drawn.

India’s chief coach Craig Fulton warned against complacency ahead of the knockout tie and described the match as a fresh contest. “The pressure will be different. We need a good start, that’s going to be the key,” he said after Monday’s win over the Korean side.

The Indian attack has been productive across the forward line in the league stage, with Sukhjeet Singh and Dilpreet Singh each on four goals and Abhishek on three (he missed the last match through injury). Captain Harmanpreet Singh leads the tournament scorers with nine goals while drag-flicker Jugraj Singh has contributed three.

Korea will be tasked with containing India’s forward threats and limiting penalty-corner opportunities, though the hosts have shown they can score from open play as well as set pieces. The semi-final presents a different challenge for both teams despite the recent lopsided results.

The winner of Wednesday’s semi-final will advance to the title match.