India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: IND 5-2 PAK in 2nd half

As many as four goals were shared between India and Pakistan over the course of nine minutes in a breathless second quarter

India face Pakistan in a match that they have to win or draw to go through to the next round of the 2026 Hockey World Cup. However, the fact remains that anything less than a win for India will be a huge upset as Pakistan have not managed to beat them for 10 years now. Moreover, an unlikely defeat for India, apart from being arguably the biggest upset of the tournament and one that could have far reaching implications for Indian hockey, will allow Pakistan to jump above them in the Pool D cable and thus go through to the second round.

Pakistan are still the most succesfull team in the history of the World Cup, having won it five times. They have suffered a spectacular fall from grace this century but just how dominant they used to be against India is shown in the fact that despite Pakistan not winning this fixture for a decade now, they lead the historic head-to-head 84 wins to India’s 73, with 28 draws.

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India won their first match of this tournament 3-1 against Wales. Then came a bruising 4-2 defeat to England, a result that could have far-reaching implications for their semifinal chances even if they beat Pakistan today and go through to the next round.

SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE SCORE AND UPDATES OF INDIA VS PAKISTAN, HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2026 MATCH:

Live Updates
Aug 19, 2026 07:40 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Hardik scores!

35th min: ...and Hardik converts it. As cool as they come, he sends the Pakistan keeper the wrong way, hits it into the top left corner.

India 5-2 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 07:39 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: A PENALTY STROKE FOR INDIA!

35th min: Silky smooth attack from India, Aditya Lallage gets on the ball on the right inside the D. Arshad grappling with him, Aditya goes down and a penalty stroke is avoided. Hardik to take...

Aug 19, 2026 07:36 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: 2ND HALF IS UNDERWAY!

All right, Pakistan get us going for the second half.

This is what the two coaches had to tell the broadcasters at half time:

Bob Veldhof: “We have a chance. We started really soft. Some players just behind the guy, but we picked up quite good. We have to step up in the second half. We go.”

Craig Fulton: “These games go like that very quickly. We need to be better on the ball so we don’t give soft turnovers.”

Aug 19, 2026 07:25 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: HALF TIME! India 4-2 Pakistan

As breathless a half as they come and Pakistan, boy are they ready for this challenge! They were cowering under the relentless pressure from India in the first quarter but in the second, they chose attack as their best form of defence almost. India still ahead in every way, but Pakistan definitely have a chance at doing something utterly unbelievable.

Aug 19, 2026 07:25 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Pakistan more comfortable on the ball now...

28th min: This is a different team altogether from the one that was being pummelled by India in the first quarter. Pakistan had won another PC right after they scored that second goal of theirs, this time, though the trap wasn't good enough and Sumit clears the danger away. But since then, Pakistan have been passing the ball around, probably the longest spell that they have had on the ball this match.

Aug 19, 2026 07:20 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Sufyan Khan scores for Pakistan from a PC

25th min: Pakistan win a penalty corner, near castle injection and Sufyan lasers it in. It seems to take a deflection of Rohidas before going into goal.

India 4-2 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 07:17 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Beautiful from Abhishek

24th min: Goals galore at the moment. Mandeep passes the ball to Abhishek inside the D. He manages to find a way to weave through about four or five Pakistan defenders before smashing it past their goaltender.

India 4-1 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 07:15 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Pakistan take one back!

22nd min: Initial shot saved by Karkera but Hannan Shahid has another chance on the rebound. He smashes it home and Pakistan, completely against the run of play, have a goal!

India 3-1 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 07:11 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Harmanpreet scores his 2nd!

21st min: Well a rare goal from Harmanpreet that is not directly from a PC situation, although it came in the immediate aftermath of one. India snuff out a Pakistan attack and then comes an aerial ball all the way at the other end. Shilanand receives it and then manages to draw a foul to get yet another PC.

India go for a variation this time, Rajinder ends up going for a dragflick. That is saved but it comes to Harmanpreet on the right who unleashes a vicious hit to the top left corner of goal.

India 3-0 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 07:08 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: India's 2nd goal given to Abhishek

Well it had looked at the time that Mandeep had got the final touch but the FIH website has deemed it to be a Pakistani stick. Abhishek awarded that goal.

Aug 19, 2026 07:08 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Pakistan come forward

18th min: Pakistan work the ball forward, Rana manages to enter the D under pressure from Dilpreet. He has enough space for a shot and he goes for it, but he swings at thin air and misses the ball! The attack fizzes out.

The play then halts, it had initially looked like the umpire was considering giving a free hit to India retrospectively for dangerous play by Rana. However, turns out it was someone stricken in the stands. Doctor is on the way and play resumes.

Aug 19, 2026 07:02 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: India 2-0 Pakistan at the end of the first quarter

Well, all history aside, it has hardly been a contest thus far. Pakistan have rarely managed to get the ball into the Indian half, let alone the D.

Aug 19, 2026 06:56 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Mandeep makes it 2 for India

11th min: Abhishek receives an aerial pass superbly and then passes into a crowded area inside the D. Mandeep gets a deflection on it and sends it into goal.

India 2-0 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 06:56 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Close call for India!

10th min: Rana plays a big aerial all the way across to the other side from the left. Karkera comes charging out but is almost caught out. Arshad Liaqat hadn't quite got into a good position into the D to make the most of that loose ball and it goes out of play.

Aug 19, 2026 06:54 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Relentless from India

8th min: It's not that Pakistan have not made any forays of their own but so dangerous have India been on the counter that the latter is what matters far more. Abhishek receives the ball from forward-charging Jarmanpreet, and he plays it back to the latter as he continues his run. Jarman then squares it across goal and it doesn't find an Indian stick.

Aug 19, 2026 06:48 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: GOAL! Harmanpreet puts India ahead!

5th min: PC, Harmanpreet, Goal. The natural progression of things in this sport. It was his second attempt, with the flick from the first PC being defended bravely by Pakistan captain Abu Bakar Mahmood. But that also meant another PC for India and this time, Harmanpreet raps the back of goal.

India 1-0 Pakistan

Aug 19, 2026 06:46 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Early chances for India!

4th min: Pakistan squandered possession from a free hit, Abhishek worked the ball into the circle and passed it to the in-form Dilpreet. He takes the shot and it hits a Pakistan stick for a long corner. India with the early intent here.

Aug 19, 2026 06:43 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: PUSHBACK!

India get us going for this game. HERE WE GO!

Aug 19, 2026 06:42 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: The two teams shake hands

No theatrics here. Shaking hands is part of the pre-match protocols and the players respect it.

Aug 19, 2026 06:42 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Pool D standings

So this is how things start before the start of this match. England's drubbing of Wales has made this very simple. An Indian win or a draw, India go through. Pakistan win, they go through.

Aug 19, 2026 06:38 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Time for the national anthems

First comes the Indian national anthem, then Pakistan's. India are in saffron, Pakistan in green.

Aug 19, 2026 06:35 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: The widening gap between India and Pakistan

India and Pakistan were in similar states of disrepair at the end of the first decade of this century. However, India modernised and more or less caught up with the rest of the world, although they are far from being as dominant as they used to be in the past. Pakistan, though, kept sinking further. Read more on this rivalry by the one and only Mihir Vasavda HERE.

Aug 19, 2026 06:33 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Unimaginably long drought for Pakistan

The last time Pakistan beat India in a hockey match was back in 2016 but the drought is even longer in the Hockye World Cup. The last time Pakistan won this fixture in this tournament was all the way back in the 1986 World Cup in London.

Aug 19, 2026 06:27 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: The starting XIs

India: Abhishek, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Suraj Karkera (gk), Rajinder Singh

Pakistan: Muhammad Abdullah, Sufyan Khan, Moin Shakeel, Hannan Shahid, Zikriya Hayat, Arshad Liaqat, Ammad Butt, Abdul Rehman, Umar Mustafa, Abu Mahmood (c), Ali Raza (gk)

Aug 19, 2026 06:24 PM IST
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Hockey World Cup 2026: Hello and welcome!

India vs Pakistan matches are not what they used to be in this sport... but it is India vs Pakistan nonetheless. Moreover, India NEED to win this (or draw it). Rarely have they actually faced Pakistan in a tournament with some amount of pressure riding on the match in the recent past, let alone a tournament in which they don't have a good record and are desperate to turn it around. It will be interesting to see if India can quickly rise above these factors.

Why India versus Pakistan is no longer a competitive rivalry in hockey

Last Saturday, play in the middle of a World Cup match had to be stopped because Pakistan’s players had forgotten their kitbag, which contained protective gear, in the changing room. A few months earlier, during the Pro League tour in Australia, they were scrambling for money to pay for their hotel stay.

In another era, both incidents would have been unthinkable.

Pakistan were once hockey’s trendsetters. They won four World Cups, three Olympic gold medals and produced artists who changed how the game was played. They weren’t merely India’s greatest rivals; for long periods, the Green Shirts were India’s tormentors. READ MORE

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