Pakistan vs India hockey semi-final Thursday 12:30pm PKT at the Asian Games

Updated Tuesday 29 September 2026, 7:30pm PKT. Pakistan vs India hockey: it is the Asian Games semi-final on Thursday 1 October. Pakistan beat Oman 7-2 on Monday to finish second in Pool B behind Malaysia, which sends them into the crossover semi-final against India, Geo News and Dawn reported. Pakistan vs India starts at 12:30pm PKT (4:30pm in Japan, 1:00pm in India), Khel Now reported from the published schedule.

Against Oman, Rana Waheed scored a hat-trick, Sufyan Khan added two more penalty-corner goals (11 in the tournament) and Ghazanfar Ali and Mohammad Ammad got one each. Pakistan led 2-1 at half-time and pulled away after the break. They finish the pool with four wins from five and 28 goals scored, 8 conceded.

Why it matters: the winner of the Asian Games goes straight to the 2028 Olympics. Pakistan have to beat India, the defending champions and ranked 8th in the world to Pakistan's 12th, to reach Saturday's final. Had they beaten Malaysia on 26 September they would have topped the pool and avoided India until the final.

Earlier, Saturday 26 September: Malaysia beat Pakistan 5-4 despite four Sufyan Khan penalty-corner goals; Malaysia scored twice in the last five minutes.

Earlier, Thursday 24 September: Pakistan beat China 3-0 for a third straight win.

This page tracks the Pakistan hockey team's schedule and results in Pakistan time, newest first. It is updated after every match.

Next matches

Japan is 4 hours ahead of Pakistan, so subtract 4 hours from the local time in Japan.

All matches are at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara. Win on Thursday and Pakistan play for gold on Saturday at 3pm PKT; lose and they play for bronze at 12:30pm.

Latest results

Sufyan Khan now has 11 goals in 5 matches. Penalty corners, for years Pakistan's weak point, have become their main weapon; the worry after Saturday is the defence, which conceded five after letting in one goal in the first three games. Report on the opener: Pakistan 9-0 Thailand.

Why the Asian Games matter so much

The Asian Games champion qualifies directly for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Pakistan, three-time Olympic champions, have not played at the last four Olympics. Winning in Japan is the shortest route back; otherwise the team faces an Olympic qualifier later.

Pakistan are in Pool B with Malaysia, China, Oman, Uzbekistan and Thailand. The top two teams in each pool go to the semi-finals on 1 October; the rest play classification matches.

Pool B: final places

Malaysia and Pakistan go to the semi-finals. Pakistan's pool record: 28 goals for, 8 against.

The team

• Head coach: Bob Veldhof (Netherlands)
• Captain: Abu Mahmood
• FIH world ranking: 12th (as of 31 August 2026)
• Titles: 3 Olympic golds (1960, 1968, 1984), 4 World Cups (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994) and 8 Asian Games golds

Pakistan finished second in the 2024-25 FIH Nations Cup and played the 2025-26 FIH Pro League, where they finished ninth without a win in 16 matches, scoring 22 and conceding 79.

Where to watch in Pakistan

Tamasha, the Jazz streaming app, is carrying the Asian Games in Pakistan, and PTV Sports has shown Pakistan matches at these Games. Streaming on mobile data uses a bundle quickly, and every recharge is taxed before it reaches your balance: our mobile load tax calculator shows what a Rs 1,000 load leaves you.

For squash, cricket and every other Pakistan result at these Games, see Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026. The cricket team's semi-final is also on Thursday, at 5am PKT, after their quarter-final was washed out: Asian Games cricket schedule.