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ISMAILIA: Pakistan booked their place in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after defeating Japan 4-3 in a dramatic semi-final of the qualifiers at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Hockey Stadium on Friday.
The hard-fought victory confirmed the Green Shirts’ return to the global showpiece after an eight-year absence. The upcoming World Cup is scheduled to be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 2026.
Japan created the first major opportunity of the match when Tsubasa Tanaka found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but lifted his attempt over the crossbar.
Pakistan soon capitalised, with Ammad Butt opening the scoring in the ninth minute. His initial shot was saved by goalkeeper Takumi Kitagawa, but rebounded off the post, allowing Butt to react quickly and slot the ball home.
Japan pushed for an equaliser and were denied a couple of penalty corners, including a crucial save on the line by Arshad Liaqat.
Their persistence paid off in the 21st minute when Ryoma Ooka deflected the ball into the net from open play to level the score at 1-1 heading into the halftime break.
Japan came out strongly in the second half and took the lead in the 35th minute through Shota Yamada’s drag flick.
They extended their advantage in the 41st minute when a clever overhead ball behind the Pakistani defence forced the goalkeeper out of his circle.
Unable to clear the danger, the loose ball was collected by Koji, who calmly finished with a slap-in at the left post.
With momentum on Japan’s side, Pakistan responded strongly after their opponents were reduced to ten men following a yellow card with ten minutes remaining.
Abu Mahmood pulled one back in the 52nd minute with a powerful drag flick down the centre before Sufyan Khan levelled the contest three minutes later with another blistering drag flick that squeezed between the goalkeeper and the post defender.
Pakistan completed a remarkable turnaround in the 57th minute when Afraz produced a superb deflection from open play to give his side the lead.
Japan had one final opportunity to force the match into a shootout after being awarded a penalty stroke, but Pakistan goalkeeper Ali Raza produced a decisive save, stretching out his right foot to deny the attempt and seal a memorable victory.
The triumph marked Pakistan’s fourth consecutive win in the qualifiers, having also topped the group stage unbeaten.
Pakistan will now face England in the final of the qualifying event, scheduled to take place at the same venue on Saturday.
Once regarded as a dominant force in world hockey with four World Cup titles, Pakistan have struggled in recent years.
The team failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, finished 12th in the 2018 edition in Bhubaneswar, and also missed out on the 2023 tournament in Odisha.
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