The Indian Men’s Hockey team sealed their place in the second round of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after beating Pakistan 5-3, but their chances of making the semifinals are hanging by a thread. The Men in Saffron finished second in the group with six points and a goal difference (GD) of +2 behind England, who secured nine points (with a GD of 11).

The 1975 champions started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Wales on Saturday (August 15) but suffered a 4-2 loss against England on Monday (August 17), which has proven costly and left the team needing an uphill battle in their bid to secure a first medal in 51 years.

It is the new format of the tournament, which was introduced for the first time this year, that is the reason behind India already having one foot out of the tournament. For those unversed, the tournament now has another round-robin after the group stage, unlike previously when the first round was followed by a group stage.

In the next stage, two teams from each group come together to form another group. Both teams from Group D (India and England) will join the two teams from Group A (Netherlands and Argentina/Japan) and be part of Group E.

In the next round, each team will play the two teams from the other group (meaning India and England will face the Netherlands as well as Argentina or Japan), while the points and GD from the match between the two qualified teams will carry forward.

This means that England will start the competition with three points and a +2 GD, while India kickstarts the competition with no points and -2 GD. Meanwhile, if the Netherlands manage to defeat Japan, they will also start the second stage with three points and a +2 GD as they beat Argentina 3-1. This means that the Asian and South American powerhouses can only qualify if they win both their games.

India will play hosts Netherlands on Saturday (22nd August) and Argentina (24th August) on Monday.