New Zealand ended Pakistan’s hopes of a ninth-place finish at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 with a convincing 4-2 victory in their 9th to 16th place classification match at the Wagener Stadium on Monday.
New Zealand made a blistering start, taking the lead after just 20 seconds through a superb field goal from Dylan Thomas.
The early goal set the tone for a dominant opening half. New Zealand doubled their advantage in the 16th minute when Scott Boyde found the net before George Baker added a third in the 22nd minute.
Pakistan went into half-time three goals behind but produced a spirited response after the break.
Sufyan Khan pulled one back in the 33rd minute before Afraz scored five minutes later to reduce the deficit to 3-2 and give Pakistan renewed hope.
New Zealand, however, regained control in the final quarter. Kane Russell converted a penalty corner in the 49th minute to restore the Black Sticks’ two-goal advantage.
Pakistan pushed forward in search of another comeback, while New Zealand also created opportunities to put the result beyond doubt. Neither side could add to the score, though, as New Zealand secured a 4-2 win.
The victory saw New Zealand finish top of Pool G with nine points and book a place in the ninth-place play-off against Ireland at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Belgium on Friday.
For Pakistan, the defeat ended their hopes of finishing ninth at the 16-team Hockey World Cup. The Green Shirts will instead face South Africa in the 11th/12th place classification match at the Wagener Stadium on Friday.
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign had already taken an uneven path. They lost their opening matches against England and arch-rivals India, before earning their only point in the main round with a thrilling 3-3 draw against Wales.
That result meant Pakistan missed out on qualification for the next stage and entered the classification matches.
The Green Shirts began their classification campaign positively, beating Japan 4-3 on Saturday. That victory ended Pakistan’s 16-year wait for a Hockey World Cup win, with their previous success coming in a 2-1 victory over Spain in the 2010 edition.
Pakistan will play South Africa for 11th place.
