Summary of this article
India and Pakistan will cross sword in the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in August 2026
Both team have had a rich history of hockey rivalry in world events in the past that dates back to 1956
India have won three out of the five matches played in the Men's Hockey World Cup
India is set to face Pakistan once again in a World Cup match in 2026, but this time the bats give way to hockey sticks, and instead of runs, goals take center stage as the arch-rivals reignite their rivalry in the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, scheduled in Belgium and the Netherlands from August 15 to 30.
India have played Pakistan eight times in the last six months (including Men's, women's, and age-group cricket) in multi-national tournaments, despite the well-known anti-Pakistan stance of the incumbent government.
Whereas, in hockey, both the junior teams of both the nations cross swords once in 2025, while the senior Men's faced each other back in the 2023 Asian Games.
A big reason for it could be pitting both teams in multi-nation cricket tournament seems like a money-making for broadcasters in comparison to other sports, which is why schedule of these events are made such that both teams atleast play each other once.
It's evident in the drastic difference in audience interest for cricket matches between these two rivals in comparison to other sports. This even prompted an Indian hockey legend to question such a stark difference in people's interest.
On the day of an India-Pakistan Cricket World Cup match, when the initial viewership crossed the 13 crore mark in digital viewership, Rani Rampal questioned why the Indian audience doesn't shower the love on hockey as they do on Cricket.
“13+ CRORE views 🔥 and the match just started! People are ready to buy subscriptions for cricket… But hockey? Not even 1 LAKH views. What’s the fault? 🏏 vs 🏑 ?" she wrote on social media.
While the cricketing rivalry between the two neighbouring countries holds more financial muscle and is more hyped in the media, the history of competition in international tournaments is much richer in hockey.
Maybe, the lack of attention, these matches get has been the main reason that the sanctity of sports and the true essence of sporting competitiveness has been kept intact in these matches.
The ultimate purpose of international sports has always been to reduce friction and bring two nations together, but as Cricket became such a huge phenomenon in India and Pakistan, which dominated other sports, it also became a tool for political parties on either side to drive their narratives.
The recent example was the Asia Cup in cricket, where the Indian team refused to take part in the traditional handshake ritual with the Pakistan team amid political tensions. Also, both teams don't travel to each other's countries for World events in cricket, leading to neutral venues being chosen for their matches.
There's been an innate hypocrisy in the cricket matches between these countries as they play each other in multi-nation tournaments to help the broadcasters' money from them, but take part in activities on the field that reflect sportsmanship spirit on and off the field.
IND-PAK World Cup Dominance
India and Pakistan have been dominant forces in the world of hockey in the past, consistently winning Olympic medals and World Cups. While India have 13 Olympic medals in hockey (including 8 golds), Pakistan is also not much behind with 8 medals (3 golds).
In World Cups, Pakistan is the only team to win four Hockey World Cup titles, while India have won it once in 1975. However, since the world of hockey shifted from grass to astro turf, the game shifted to being more fast-paced, and both countries couldn't adapt, leading to the end of their dominance at the world stage.
Also, corruption and mismanagement led to the further decline of hockey in both these countries. The recent glaring example of it was the Pakistan hockey team's visit to Australia for the FIH Pro Hockey League, where the team was left stranded due to unpaid hotel bills, and they were forced to stay in crowded locations and perform cleaning chores.
India hockey is also similar lines, while we get some inspirational performances at world stage on some occasions, there recent form hasn't been good as they suffered five consecutive losses in early 2026 in FIH Pro League against including defeats against Argentina (0-8, 2-4), Belgium (1-3, 2-4), and a shootout loss to Spain (3-4).
India vs Pakistan (Head-To-Head Record)
Matches: 181
India: 67
Pakistan: 82
Draw: 32
While, Pakistan hold an edge over India in overall counts, the latter have a better record over the former in World Cup, having won three out of the five matches played so far.
Hockey World Cup 2026: Pools
Men:
Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia (playing in Belgium)
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa (playing in Belgium)
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales (playing in the Netherlands)
Women:
Pool A: Netherlands, Australia, Chile, Japan (playing in the Netherlands)
Pool B: Argentina, Germany, USA, Scotland (playing in Belgium)
Pool C: Belgium, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland (playing in Belgium)
Pool D: China, England, India, South Africa (playing in the Netherlands).
Like the Men's, women’s team are also placed in Pool D with China, England, and South Africa. The mix of Asian and European opposition ensures a balanced but demanding group, where consistency will be key. Both Indian teams will play their group matches in the Netherlands, with the full schedule expected to be revealed soon.
