AMSTELVEEN – Pakistan are set to face arch-rivals India in a crucial Hockey World Cup 2026 match on Wednesday, with the national team confident of producing a strong performance despite their disappointing draw against Wales.
Pakistan captain Abdul Bakr said the team had already played two matches against India in the Pro League and hoped to learn from their previous mistakes to secure a better result this time.
“We have played two matches against India in the Pro League. Hopefully, we will learn from our mistakes and get a good result this time,” the captain said.
Pakistan striker Rana Waheed described the encounter as an important game and expressed confidence that the team could defeat India.
“We know this is an important match. We should have beaten Wales, but that did not happen. However, we can beat India,” he said.
National team head coach Bob John Weldon said India were a strong side but Pakistan were fully prepared for a competitive contest. He added that defeating India and advancing to the next stage would be a major achievement for Pakistan.
“Our main focus is the Asian Games in Japan, but beating India in the World Cup would certainly be a major surprise,” Weldon said, adding that the team had identified weaknesses in the Indian side but would not disclose its match strategy.
Assistant coach Adnan Zakar said India had invested heavily in hockey and had a much larger coaching setup, but Pakistan would approach the match without pressure.
“India have 14 members in their coaching staff and have made significant investments in hockey. We still need time, but the match against India will be 50-50,” he said.
Zakar added that Pakistan had “nothing to lose” in the encounter and believed the pressure would be greater on India.
The match is being played at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on August 19 and is expected to draw significant attention given the longstanding rivalry between the two teams.
