Pakistan hockey ends 12-year Asian Games medal drought with 5-3 win over South Korea

Pakistan's men's hockey team is back on the Asian Games podium. On 3 October 2026 the Green Shirts beat South Korea 5-3 in the bronze-medal playoff at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, ending a 12-year wait for a medal in the event that once defined the country's sporting identity.

The result was built on a stirring fightback. Pakistan were two goals down midway through the second quarter and looked in danger of leaving Japan empty-handed, but a disciplined final quarter turned the match on its head.

How the match unfolded

Pakistan started brightly when Sufyan Khan converted a penalty corner in the 4th minute. South Korea responded with three goals in the space of 13 minutes: Lee Gang-san levelled in the 12th minute, Kim Jung-bok put the Koreans ahead in the 18th, and Yang Ji-hun added a third from a penalty corner in the 25th.

The goal that changed the mood came just before half-time, when Abdul Rehman turned in another penalty corner in the 30th minute to cut the deficit to 3-2. The third quarter passed without a goal, setting up a tense final 15 minutes.

Rana Waheed then took over. The forward equalised in the 52nd minute and, only two minutes later, scored again from a penalty corner to put Pakistan 4-3 in front. Hannan Shahid made the result safe with a fifth goal in the 59th minute.

A strong group stage, a narrow semi-final

The bronze capped a campaign in which Pakistan were among the highest-scoring sides in the competition. In Pool B they beat Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1, China 3-0 and Oman 7-2, with their only defeat a 5-4 loss to Malaysia that cost them top spot. That left Pakistan second in the pool on 12 points behind Malaysia's 15, having scored 28 goals and conceded eight across five games.

Rana Waheed was a constant threat throughout. He struck a hat-trick in the 7-2 win over Oman that closed the pool stage, while Sufyan Khan's penalty-corner drag-flicking provided a reliable second source of goals.

The run towards gold ended in the semi-finals with a 4-3 defeat, which sent Pakistan into the playoff against South Korea.

Why the medal matters

Pakistan's previous Asian Games hockey medal came in 2014, and the intervening years brought a long series of near-misses and rebuilding cycles. A medal in Japan offers tangible proof that the current group is moving in the right direction.

The hockey bronze was also part of Pakistan's best overall Asian Games return since 2002, with the country finishing the Games with ten medals. For a sport with such deep roots in Pakistan, the sight of the Green Shirts celebrating on a continental podium again will resonate far beyond the dressing room.

The challenge now is to turn this result into consistency against Asia's best sides, particularly in the tight, high-pressure games that decide finals.