England and Pakistan secured semi-final berths at the World Cup qualifiers in Ismailia on Monday.
Pakistan came from behind to beat Malaysia 5-3 before England defeated hosts Egypt 3-0. The latter’s win means that England have rubber-stamped their ticket to the World Cup courtesy of being the highest-ranked team in the qualifiers.
There are one more round of group matches to come on Wednesday.
Sam Ward, Nick Bandurak and Tom Sorsby all scored via penalty corners for England.
Bandurak said: “We really had to work hard in that final third. They got numbers behind the ball, defended well, and they made life really tough.”
Japan claimed their first points of the tournament with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the USA, while Austria and China played to a 1-1 draw.
Defeat for the USA upended their bid to reach the World Cup before their home Olympics in 2028.
In the women’s World Cup qualifiers in Santiago, Australia and hosts Chile shut out France and Switzerland respectively.
It was the same story in Pool B, as Japan defeated Canada 4-0 and Ireland dominated Malaysia 5-0.
There wee five different scorers for the Irish, led by Katie Mullan’s 21st minute openers. Roisin Upton netted their fifth with 20 minutes left.
FIH Hockey Men's World Cup Qualifier Ismailia, Egypt – Match 5: Pakistan vs Malaysia
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— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) March 2, 2026
