Hockey World Cup: Pakistan receive qualification boost as England crush Wales

AMSTELVEEN: Pakistan's qualification scenario for the second phase of the ongoing FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026 has become clear after unbeaten England knocked Wales out of the tournament with an 8-2 victory in their final Pool D clash here at the Wagener Hockey Stadium on Wednesday.

The Green Shirts are currently third in Pool D with one point and a goal difference of negative three, and now need to win their match against arch-rivals India to progress to the next phase. A defeat or draw would end Pakistan's campaign, while India would advance into the second pool phase of the tournament.

Notably, Pakistan's hopes of progressing to the next stage initially received a boost after India suffered a 4-2 defeat to England in their second Pool D match on Monday, keeping the qualification race open ahead of the next fixtures of the preliminary round.

For the unversed, the Green Shirts made a disappointing start to their campaign, suffering a 4-1 defeat to England in their opening match. Pakistan, led by Abu Bakr, then played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Wales, earning a valuable point and keeping their hopes of progressing further alive.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the second pool phase, making a total of eight teams. The top two teams from Pools A and D will be placed in Pool E, while the top two teams from Pools B and C will form Pool F.

The bottom two teams from the four initial pools will be eliminated from the tournament.