Pakistan crush Austria to stay unbeaten at FIH World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

ISMAILIA: Abu Mahmood struck twice to lead Pakistan to a resounding 4-2 victory over Austria in their last group-stage fixture of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers here at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

The Green Shirts made a rampant start to the fixture as Afraz netted a sensational field goal in the fourth minute to give them an early lead.

The scoreboard remained intact at 1-0 in Pakistan's favour until the 44th minute, which saw Mahmood successfully convert a penalty corner to double the lead.

Maximilian Kelner eventually opened the scoring for Austria two minutes into the final quarter through a penalty corner, only for Sufyan Khan to reinstate Pakistan's two-goal advantage just four minutes later.

Mahmood netted his second goal the following minute to strengthen Pakistan's command with a three-goal advantage.

Although Maximilian Scholz managed to pull one back in the 53rd minute, Pakistan clinched a dominant 4-2 victory as they could not register the equaliser.

The 4-2 victory meant the Green Shirts concluded the group stage unbeaten as they beat China and Malaysia in their opening two fixtures, respectively.

Notably, Pakistan had already qualified for the semi-finals following their victory over Malaysia; however, their opponent for the knockout fixture will be determined after the conclusion of the Group A matches on Thursday.

Furthermore, Pakistan's victory in the semi-final would see them qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup after an eight-year absence.