During the June 2026 International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League event in London, India men will face Pakistan in one of hockey’s fiercest rivalries. It will be 70 years since the two teams first met on a hockey pitch – a 1–0 Indian victory in the final of the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. In the decades since, the two sides have faced each other a further 182 times, building a rivalry like no other. In the early years, Pakistan held the upper hand, winning 84 matches to India’s 71, with 28 draws. However, since the turn of the century the tables have turned and India have edged ahead with 41 wins to Pakistan’s 38, showing just how fiercely competitive this fixture has become. The headline figures only tell part of this fascinating story.

Indian hockey’s international story goes back to 1928 when they played their first official international match (then playing as the Indian Army) against New Zealand in Christchurch where they won 5–2.

India’s First International Match: Indian Army Team Tour to New Zealand, 1926 – The Hockey Museum

Their first appearance at an Olympic Games came in 1928 when they impressively took the gold, a feat they repeated in 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952 and 1956, an era of total Olympic dominance.

Pakistan did not appear on the international stage until much later following partition from India in 1947. Their first match was against Belgium at the 1948 Olympic Games which they won 2–1. Although a new nation, many players had experience from having played as part of the British India team in the preceding years, so it did not take them long before they were challenging for medals – a silver coming at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne where they lost to India 1–0. The hockey rivalry had begun.

This rivalry was at its height over the next 30 years with the two nations competing regularly at the top of the sport. They met in the finals of all the major tournaments round the world: Olympic Games, World Cup, Asian Games, Asia Cup and Asian Champions Trophy. From 1956 to 1984 there was only one Olympic final that did not feature one or both teams and it was a similar story at the FIH men’s World Cups after they began in 1971. India certainly takes the prize for the most Olympic gold medals with eight, but if you were to only count from the time that Pakistan started playing (1948) they only shade it five golds to four. When it comes to World Cups, Pakistan are the clear winners, claiming four titles to India’s one.

More detailed analysis

For more detailed analysis from these encounters, here are some of the headlines:

Head-to-head record

• For all 183 matches; Pakistan have 84 wins (about 46%), India have 71 wins (about 39%) and there were 28 draws (about 15%).
• Before 2000, they played 92 matches: Pakistan won 46, India won 30, and 16 were drawn.
• Since 1 January 2000, they have played 91 matches: India has won 41, Pakistan 38, and 12 have ended in draws.
• Their most recent meeting was in September 2024 at the Asian Champions Trophy which India won 2–1.

Does home venue matter?

• For games played in Pakistan, the teams have played 35 times, with Pakistan winning 18, India 9, and 8 ending in draws.
• For games in India, they have also played 35 times, with Pakistan winning 21, India 14, and 2 drawn.
• At neutral venues, they have met 111 times, with India winning 48, Pakistan 45, and 18 ending in draws.

The challenge of going for gold

• The two sides have met in 19 finals, with India winning 8, Pakistan 9, and 1 ending in a draw. In the final played on 28 June 1986 in Ipoh, Malaysia, heavy rain forced the match to be abandoned while India led 2–1. As it could not be completed or replayed, the title was shared.
• They have also faced each other in 9 semi-finals, with India winning 4 and Pakistan 5.

Who lasts better when it goes to extra time?

• Eight matches between the teams have gone beyond regulation time, five of them to a penalty shoot-out.
• India has never won a match decided in extra time; Pakistan won all three such matches.
• Of the five matches decided by shoot-out, India won three and Pakistan won two.

Goal-scoring

• Across all meetings, Pakistan has scored 405 goals and India 382.
• The most common result is a 2–1 win for India, which has occurred 15 times. The scorelines 1–1, 2–1 to Pakistan, and 3–2 to Pakistan have each occurred 14 times.
• The three highest-scoring matches were all won by India: 10–2 on 30 September 2023, and 7–4 on 10 October 2010 and 22 August 2003.
• Only three matches have finished 0–0, meaning the rivalry has produced as many goalless draws as matches with 10 or more goals.
• India’s biggest win over Pakistan was the 10–2 result on 30 September 2023.
• Pakistan’s largest win over India was by six goals, achieved three times: 6–0 on 16 February 1978, 7–1 on 3 January 1980, and again on 1 December 1982.

Winning and losing streaks

• Each team’s longest winning streak in this rivalry is seven matches: Pakistan from 9 January 2004 to 24 September 2004, and India from 12 April 2016 to 21 October 2017.
• India’s longest winless run against Pakistan lasted eight matches, from 5 August 1988 to 28 December 1989.
• Pakistan’s longest winless run against India stands at 17 matches, from 12 April 2016 to the present.

Success at Olympic Games and World Cups

• India is the most successful nation in Olympic hockey history, with eight gold medals. However, in Olympic matches between the two teams, Pakistan leads with four wins to India’s two, with one draw.
• Pakistan is the most successful nation in men’s Hockey World Cup history, with four titles. However, in World Cup meetings between the two sides, India leads 3–2, with no draws

India and Pakistan men are two of the most successful nations in hockey’s long history, but both have struggled to maintain their world standing in recent decades. The reasons are complex but failing to adapt to changes in the playing of the modern game, under investment in artificial pitches and the major loss of funding and resources to cricket will all have been major contributors. There have been better performances by both teams in recent years: India men’s team winning bronze at the last two Olympic Games and the development of the Indian women’s game; and the recent invitation to Pakistan to join the FIH Pro League and their qualification for this summer’s World Cup have all been good signs of the continued development and strength of hockey in both countries.

Tickets

The two India and Pakistan Pro League matches will be held at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre, London, on 23 & 26 June 2026. Tickets available from England Hockey: India v Pakistan: FIH Hockey Pro League London

K Mahmood (Pakistan) tries to go past Harmik and Inder (India) in an attempt to score during the pre-Olympic hockey tournament at Lord’s Cricket Ground, 21 October 1967.