Pakistan to Play India in Asian Games Hockey Semi-Final on 1 October

Pakistan will play India in the men's hockey semi-final at the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday 1 October, at 12:30 pm PKT. India won Pool A on Monday evening by beating Bangladesh 10-0, and the official bracket now shows India against Pakistan in Semi-final 1.

Earlier on Monday, Arshad Nadeem finished fourth in the javelin final. Read Arshad Nadeem's Asian Games javelin result.

We read the fixture, the time and both final pool tables in the official Asian Games 2026 results system at about 6:30 pm PKT on 28 September, after the last Pool A game was marked official.

Pakistan play India on Thursday 1 October at 12:30 pm PKT

Pakistan face India in Semi-final 1 of the Asian Games men's hockey on Thursday 1 October 2026. The match starts at 4:30 pm Japan time, which is 12:30 pm in Pakistan. It is at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, where Pakistan played all five pool games.

The official system lists India as the home side and Pakistan as the away side. That only decides the team sheet order and kit. The ground is the same one both teams have used all tournament.

The other semi-final follows at 3:00 pm PKT the same day. Malaysia, the Pool B winners, play Korea, who finished second in Pool A.

India won Pool A with five wins and 49 goals

India won Pool A with 15 points from five games. They scored 49 goals and conceded 4. Their 10-0 win over Bangladesh on Monday settled the pool. Korea finished second on 12 points after beating Japan 3-2 earlier in the day.

India's results were big wins against the smaller teams and clear wins against the stronger ones. Korea were the only side to score twice against them.

The 8-2 win over Korea is the result that stands out. Korea beat everyone else in the pool, including Japan. The 2-0 win over Japan was the tightest game India played.

Japan finished third on 9 points and go into the games for fifth to eighth place, against Thailand.

Pakistan reached the semi-final second in Pool B with 12 points

Pakistan finished second in Pool B with 12 points from four wins and one loss. They scored 28 goals and conceded 8. The only defeat was 5-4 to Malaysia, who won all five games and top the pool on 15 points.

Pakistan's wins were 9-0 against Thailand, 5-1 against Uzbekistan, 3-0 against China and 7-2 against Oman on Monday morning. The 7-2 win over Oman made second place certain, with Waheed Rana scoring three.

Put the two pool records side by side and India look stronger on paper. They scored 21 more goals and let in half as many. But 29 of India's goals came against Indonesia and Sri Lanka, who let in 37 and 38 goals in the pool. Pakistan's pool had Malaysia, the only other team to win all five games.

Penalty corners have been Pakistan's main weapon. Sufyan Khan has 11 goals in five games, all from penalty corners. Every Pakistan result and scorer from the pool is in the Pakistan hockey results at the Asian Games 2026.

Pakistan and India have not met yet at these Games

Pakistan and India have not played each other at the 2026 Asian Games. They were in different pools, so Thursday is their first meeting in Japan. A result against a shared opponent is also missing, because the two pools did not cross before the semi-finals.

So there is no head-to-head from this tournament to go on. What the pools do give is a sense of style. India won big and conceded little. Pakistan relied on set pieces and held firm against China, then lost a close game to Malaysia.

An India against Pakistan hockey match needs no build-up in either country. This one comes with a place in the gold medal match on the line.

Two more wins would bring gold and an Olympic place

Pakistan need two more wins for gold: India on Thursday, then Malaysia or Korea in the final on Saturday 3 October at 3:00 pm PKT. The Asian Games champion earns a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics under the FIH rules, unless that place passes down.

Here is the path from here:

1. Semi-final: India v Pakistan, Thursday 1 October, 12:30 pm PKT.
2. If Pakistan win: the gold medal match on Saturday 3 October at 3:00 pm PKT.
3. If Pakistan lose: the bronze medal match on Saturday 3 October at 12:30 pm PKT.
4. Gold also brings an Olympic place for LA 2028, as the FIH rules set out.

The FIH, the world hockey body, gives the place to the highest placed team that has not already qualified. So a final win is the direct way in.

A medal of any colour would help Pakistan's position. The Pakistan Asian Games medal tally has only bronze so far, and Arshad Nadeem finished fourth in the javelin on Monday evening. Channels and streams are in the Asian Games 2026 watch schedule in Pakistan, though PTV and Tamasha have not confirmed every hockey broadcast.

Common questions

Who will Pakistan play in the Asian Games 2026 hockey semi-final?

India. India won Pool A with 15 points, and the official bracket pairs the Pool A winner with Pakistan, the Pool B runner-up.

When is the Pakistan vs India hockey semi-final?

Thursday 1 October 2026 at 12:30 pm PKT, which is 4:30 pm in Japan.

Where is the Pakistan vs India semi-final being played?

At Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Gifu, Japan. All the men's hockey games at these Games are there.

Have Pakistan and India played each other at the 2026 Asian Games?

No. They were in different pools, so Thursday is their first meeting at these Games.

When is the Asian Games 2026 hockey final?

Saturday 3 October 2026 at 3:00 pm PKT. The bronze medal match is the same day at 12:30 pm PKT.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked at about 6:30 pm PKT on 28 September 2026. The semi-final pairings, dates, times, venue, every pool result and both final pool tables come from the official results system of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, where all 30 pool games were marked official. We converted Japan time to Pakistan time by taking off four hours. The Olympic rule is from the FIH LA 2028 qualification system, as read for our earlier hockey coverage. Broadcast plans are as announced so far and may change.