The four-time world champions had already been eliminated from the race for the World Cup trophy. Pakistan qualified for the 2026 World Cup after an eight-year absence but failed to win any of their opening three matches and were knocked out of the second round. However, the national team finally registered its first victory against Japan in the classification round.
Pakistan found themselves two goals behind at one stage, but the team staged an impressive comeback to win the match 4-3. Abu Bakar was unable to captain the side due to injury, with Moeen Shakeel taking over as captain.
For Pakistan, Rana Waheed scored two goals against Japan, while Hammaduddin and Hannan Shahid scored one goal each.
The victory was not only Pakistan’s first at the ongoing World Cup in the Netherlands, but also their first win in a Hockey World Cup match in 6,017 days.
Pakistan had last won a World Cup match in 2010, when they defeated Spain 2-1. Since then, the national team has endured a prolonged difficult period on the international stage.
Pakistan failed to qualify for the 2014 Hockey World Cup. At the 2018 World Cup, the national team failed to win a single match. Pakistan then missed out on qualification for the 2023 World Cup as well.
The 2026 tournament marked Pakistan’s return to the Hockey World Cup after an eight-year absence. Although the team could not advance to the later stages of the competition, the victory over Japan finally ended the country’s long wait for a World Cup win.
