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Pakistan edge Japan to qualify for Hockey World Cup after eight years

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.

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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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Sri Lanka’s Chamuditha smashes highest individual score in U19 World Cup

WINDHOEK: Sri Lanka’s Viran Chamuditha delivered a record-shattering performance on Saturday, scripting history in the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 during his side’s opening fixture against Japan at the Namibia Cricket Ground.

The left-hander produced a monumental innings of 192 from 143 deliveries, the highest individual score ever recorded in the tournament’s history.

His knock, studded with 26 boundaries and a six, saw him surpass the previous record of fellow Sri Lankan Hasith Boyagoda, who had scored 191 against Kenya in the 2018 edition.

Highest individual scores in U19 World Cup

Player	Team	Score	Balls Faced	Opponent	Date
Viran Chamuditha	Sri Lanka	192	143	Japan	17 Jan 2026
Hasitha Boyagoda	Sri Lanka	191	152	Kenya	23 Jan 2018
Jakob Bhula	New Zealand	180	144	Kenya	17 Jan 2018
Donovan Pagon	West Indies	176	129	Scotland	21 Jan 2002
Dan Lawrence	England	174	150	Fiji	27 Jan 2016

Chamuditha’s innings laid the foundation for a commanding Sri Lankan total and only came to an end when he was dismissed by Timothy Moore, by which time the damage had already been done.

The record-breaking display was complemented by another landmark achievement, as Chamuditha and opening partner Dimantha Mahavitana stitched together a colossal 328-run stand.

The partnership is now the highest for any wicket in the history of the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup.

Highest partnerships in U19 World Cup

Partners	Team	Runs	Opposition	Date
Dimantha Mahavithana & Viran Chamuditha	Sri Lanka	328	Japan	17 Jan 2026
Dan Lawrence & Jack Burnham	England	303	Fiji	27 Jan 2016
Brad Wilson & BJ Watling	New Zealand	273	Scotland	19 Feb 2004
Jason Sangha & Nathan McSweeney	Australia	250	PNG	19 Jan 2018
Rachin Ravindra & Jakob Bhula	New Zealand	245	Kenya	17 Jan 2018

Powered by the mammoth opening stand, Sri Lanka posted an imposing target of 388 runs for Japan in their first outing of the 2026 tournament, underlining their intent early in the competition.

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Ancelotti warns Brazil to toughen up after defeat to Japan

Coach Carlo Ancelotti said Brazil ‘mentally collapsed’ in their 3-2 friendly defeat to Japan on Tuesday and warned that they need to learn from their mistakes before the World Cup.

Brazil threw away a two-goal lead as Japan came roaring back in the second half in Tokyo, with Ancelotti’s men helpless in the face of the home side’s pressure.

A mistake in the Brazil defence for Japan’s first goal opened the floodgates, and Ancelotti said his players were not strong enough to turn it around.

“Brazil didn’t have the attitude in the second half to stop Japan’s reaction,” said the Italian.

“I am very clear about what happened, that the team mentally collapsed after the first mistake. “This was the team’s biggest mistake.”

It was Ancelotti’s second defeat since taking over in May, following a 1-0 away loss to Bolivia in World Cup qualifying.

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Brazil arrived in Tokyo fresh from a 5-0 thrashing of South Korea, and they turned on the style again in a sparkling first-half performance.

Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli both scored to put the five-time world champions comfortably ahead at the break.

Japan came roaring back after half-time with goals from Takumi Minamino, Keito Nakamura, and Ayase Ueda to give their country their first win over Brazil.

“We lost a bit of a good attitude and positive thinking,” said Ancelotti.

“The mistakes had an influence on the team.”

Ancelotti is bidding to become the first foreign-born coach to win the World Cup at next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

He vowed to keep experimenting with his line-up and said individual mistakes would not cost players their places in the squad.

Ancelotti said it was “better to make these mistakes now than at the World Cup”. “We need to learn from the mistakes we made in the second half,” he said.

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Japan beat Pakistan to clinch U-18 hockey Asia Cup title

DAZHOU: Japan secured a 3-0 victory over the Pakistan hockey team to clinch the U-18 Asia Cup title here at the Dazhou National Hockey Training Centre on Sunday.

Japan ended Pakistan’s unbeaten run in the tournament with a dominant display in the final. The winning team kept the Greens at bay from the nets throughout the four quarters of the game.

Both teams fought hard but were unable to score in the opening quarter of the game. However, Japan took the lead with Yuma Fujiwara scoring goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes of the game.

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Japan further capitalized on the lead over the Pakistan Hockey team in the 49th minute of the match when Tatsuaki Yasui converted a penalty corner to send the ball into the nets.

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Earlier, the Pakistan hockey team secured their place in the semi-finals of the U-18 Asia Cup after a penalty shootout victory over Malaysia, continuing their unbeaten streak in the tournament until the final.

The Green Shirts’ journey in the Asia Cup started dominantly with crushing victories against Hong Kong (8-0), Bangladesh (6-3), Sri Lanka (9-0), and China (2-1).

For the unversed, the loss against Japan marks the second for the Pakistan hockey team in a month’s time. Pakistan also suffered a defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the FIH Nations Cup Final in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2025.

Pakistan Hockey Squad for U-18 Asia Cup

Mohammad Usman, Atif Ali, Asam Junaid, Mohammad Abdullah Farooq, Abdullah Awan, Zubair Lateef, Mohammad Yaseen, Mohammad Ali Taj, Ghulam Mustafa, Ali Hamza, Ali Hamzad, Aamir Sohail, Adeel Afzal, Mohammad Zaman, Mohammad Hussain, Mohammad Shaheer, Hasan Shahbaz, Yaseen Jamshaid

Team management: Shafqat Malik (manager): Mukhtar Ahmed, Touseeq Ahmed, Masood-ur-Rahman (coaches)

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Pakistan thump Japan to storm into Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship final

JEONJU: Pakistan reached the final of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025, defeating Japan with a dominant 64-39 victory in the semi-final at Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium on Thursday.

The unbeaten Green Shirts showcased their dominance over Japan throughout the semi-final, taking an early lead with a score of 21-7 in the first quarter.

Pakistan’s dominance continued, scoring 34-19 at halftime and 42-28 by the end of the third quarter, before sealing the match in emphatic fashion.

For Pakistan, Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, Amani, Parisa, and Farah Rasheed were standout performers who excelled in both defense and attack.

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Following the thrilling victory, Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassar Arian, President Sameen Malik, and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz lauded the national team’s victory.

Pakistan will face the Maldives in the final tomorrow (Friday).

Maldives booked their place in the final after securing a 51-39 victory over Chinese Taipei in the second semi-final of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship.

Earlier, Pakistan defeated Maldives 49-39 in their fifth and final group match at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium, Jeonju-si, South Korea.

For the unversed, the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 comprises 11 teams. The tournament is played from June 27 to July 4 under the supervision of the Asian Netball Federation.

Pakistan is placed in Group B, which consists of Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia. Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and India.

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Pakistan humbles Japan to reach Asian youth netball championship semi-finals

JEONJU: Pakistan Women’s team crushed Japan 79-39 on Monday to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025.

The match played at Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium in South Korea marked Green Shirts’ fourth consecutive win in Pool B.

Pakistan’s team scores of 16-9, 39-17, 60-26, and 79-39 across the quarters propelled them to the final four stages of the tournament with 8 points.

Pakistan’s women’s team showcased its prowess, leading 16-9 in the first quarter of the match. At the halfway stage of the game, the scorecard read 39-17 with Green Shirts having a decisive lead.

The dominant play continued as Pakistan strengthened their chances with a lead of 60-26 in the second-to-last quarter of the game, ultimately sealing an emphatic victory.

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Standout players included Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, and captain Sumayya Kauthar Safdar, under the guidance of head coach Amanda Newton.

The thumping win was praised by senior officials of the Pakistan Netball Federation, including Chairman Mudassar Arain, President Samreen Malik, and Secretary General.

Pakistan will now face the Maldives tomorrow ahead of the knockout stages of the tournament.

For the unversed, the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 comprises 11 teams. The tournament is played from June 27 to July 4 under the supervision of the Asian Netball Federation.

Pakistan is placed in Group B, which consists of Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, the Maldives, and Saudi Arabia. Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and India.

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Saudi Arabia draw with Japan to keep World Cup 2026 hopes alive

Saudi Arabia battled to a 0-0 away draw with already-qualified Japan on Tuesday to keep their fading hopes of an automatic place at the FIFA World Cup 2026 alive.

The Saudis went into the game in Saitama in third place in Asian qualifying third round Group C, one point behind Australia.

The top two teams qualify directly for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico, with those placing third and fourth going into another qualifying round.

Runaway group leaders Japan locked up their place last week, and the Saudis made sure they stayed in contention with two games remaining after a dogged defensive effort.

The Saudis travel to face Bahrain in June before they host what could be a decisive clash against Australia.

Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard was missing several players through injury but his team were coming into the game fresh from beating China 1-0 for their first win in five qualifiers.

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu made six changes from the side that beat Bahrain 2-0 to clinch qualification, with winger Kaoru Mitoma, striker Ayase Ueda and midfielder Hidemasa Morita all ruled out with injury.

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Daizen Maeda started up front, and the Celtic man hit the post in the ninth minute as Japan took control from the kick-off.

Maeda had another chance 10 minutes later but could only shoot weakly after stumbling over the ball when clean through.

Muhannad Al Shanqiti headed over the bar soon after with the Saudis’ first attack of the game.

Takefusa Kubo, Japan’s man of the match against Bahrain, went close twice before half-time, before Maeda fluffed another effort shortly after the interval.

Moriyasu’s substitutions changed the game against Bahrain and he rolled the dice again, bringing on Junya Ito and Ritsu Doan shortly after the hour mark.

But Ito curled a shot over the bar with Japan’s best chance of the second half as the Saudis escaped with a point.

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Pakistan defeat Japan to register first win in Asian Hockey Champions Trophy

HULUNBUIR CITY: Pakistan defeated Japan 2-1 to register their first victory in the ongoing Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2024 at the Moqi Hockey Training Base here on Wednesday.

Ahmad Nadeem opened the scoring for Pakistan in the ninth minute after finding Shahid Hannan and sending the ball to the back of the net. Sufyan Khan soon doubled Pakistan’s lead in the 21st minute with a sublime drag flick.

However, Raiki Fujishima helped Japan make a subtle comeback six minutes later and reduced the deficit.

Japan made efforts to level the scores, but the Green Shirts’ dominant gameplay maintained their lead until the final hooter.

Prior to this game, Pakistan’s second fixture in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy ended in a 2-2 draw as they failed to defend their narrow one-goal lead in the final quarter against South Korea.

South Korea opened the scoring in the dying minutes of the second quarter, courtesy of Hyun Jigwang. Their lead remained intact until the third quarter and it appeared that Pakistan were closing in on their first defeat in the ongoing tournament.

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The national team, however, made an astounding comeback as Shahid Hanan scored back-to-back last-minute goals to give the Green Shirts what appeared to be a decisive lead.

But just a few seconds before the final whistle, South Korea equalized through Kim Sunghyun and denied Pakistan a victory.

Pakistan tasted the same fortune in their Asian Hockey Champions Trophy opener against Malaysia.

They started their campaign with a 2-2 draw despite dominating the majority of the match.

The Green Shirts started the game strongly, taking the lead in the second quarter, thanks to a goal by Sufyan Khan.

In the third quarter, Nadeem Ahmed extended their lead with another goal, before Malaysia made a comeback with a goal from the penalty corner.

Pakistan were cruising towards victory with a 2-1 lead, however, Aiman Rozemi’s late goal helped Malaysia level the scores in the dying minutes of the game.

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Japan to advance in World Cup qualifying after North Korea game cancelled

Japan look poised to reach the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup without kicking a ball after FIFA said their match at North Korea will not be rescheduled.

North Korea were supposed to stage the qualifier on Tuesday in the capital Pyongyang but five days before the game officials abruptly said the isolated country could not play host without giving a reason.

On Friday the Asian Football Confederation said the match was off and at the weekend FIFA said it “shall neither be played nor rescheduled”, citing lack of space in the international football calendar.

“The matter and match outcome will be referred to the FIFA disciplinary committee,” football’s world governing body added.

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North Korea could suffer a 3-0 forfeit as a result, which would send Japan into the third stage of qualifying for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Japan beat North Korea 1-0 in Tokyo on Thursday to make it three wins from three in Asian qualifying Group B.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu, who took Japan to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup after wins over Spain and Germany, had been eyeing the North Korea game as an opportunity to make improvements following an unconvincing display in the home leg.

“It’s unfortunate that we lost the opportunity to correct areas of concern and potential areas for improvement that came to light,” he said on Friday.

“We will aim to improve as a team based on what we have built so far.”

Japan were dumped out of the Asian Cup quarter-finals 2-1 by Iran last month after entering the tournament as favourites.

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Japan-North Korea World Cup Qualifier called off over ‘unforeseen circumstances’

North Korea’s home World Cup Qualifier against Japan was called off on Friday, the Asian Football Confederation said, hours after announcing it would be moved to a neutral venue.

“The fixture between DPR Korea and Japan, scheduled to be played on March 26, will not take place as scheduled due to unforeseen circumstances,” the AFC said in a statement.

It said the decision was taken after talks with the world football governing body FIFA and came a day after North Korea said it would not be able to stage the game in the capital Pyongyang.

North Korean officials did not say why.

The AFC said the matter would now be referred to “the relevant committees” in FIFA with further updates expected.

It did not confirm if the fixture would be played at a future time or place.

Earlier Friday, AFC general secretary Windsor John told AFP the game would proceed, but at a neutral venue.

The match in Pyongyang would have been the first game in North Korea for Japan’s men’s team since 2011 and a rare international football match in isolated North Korea.

Japan and North Korea’s women’s playoff for the Paris Olympics was switched from Pyongyang to neutral ground in Saudi Arabia last month.

Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Thursday that North Korea didn’t want to host the match over fears of bacterial infections in Japan.

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North Korean officials the same day told their Japanese counterparts that they could not play host, without saying why.

“They asked us during half-time if we can organise (it) in Japan,” Japan football association chief Kozo Tashima said after the teams met in a first qualifier in Tokyo, which the hosts won 1-0.

“I told them it was so sudden and that I cannot give them an immediate yes,” Japanese media quoted Tashima as saying.

“I told them it will take us at least two or three days (to answer). I told them it’s difficult,” he said.

Earlier this week Japan’s foreign ministry warned football fans not to attempt to travel to the country for the match.

“As you know, North Korea takes a hostile view of Japan and travel is not recommended for the general public,” it said on X, formerly Twitter.

Fourteen government officials had been set to accompany the Japan team for the match as well as a small number of media outlets, broadcaster NHK reported.

Relations have long been dogged by issues including compensation for Japan’s brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945 and more recently by Pyongyang’s firing of missiles over Japanese territory.

The abduction by North Korean agents of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s — forced to train spies in Japanese language and customs — has also long been a major point of contention.

Despite being isolated and poor, North Korea qualified for the 2010 World Cup.

But they were knocked out at the group stage following three defeats, including a 7-0 thumping by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

They also qualified in 1966 when they famously beat Italy 1-0 and made it to the quarter-finals.

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