The Pakistan men’s hockey team faced a setback as they failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics after a 3-2 defeat against New Zealand in the third/fourth place match of the qualifiers in Muscat, Oman. New Zealand secured their spot in the Olympics after the win, joining Great Britain and Germany in the tournament scheduled for July and August.

This marks the third consecutive time that Pakistan has failed to qualify for the Olympics, having missed the tournaments in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

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In a closely contested match, Pakistan took the lead with a penalty corner goal by Abu Mahmood in the 18th minute. New Zealand’s Scott Boyde leveled the score in the 24th minute, but Pakistan quickly regained the lead. The Men in Green maintained their lead until the 52nd minute, when Inglis Hugo scored for New Zealand. Despite a valiant effort, Pakistan faced a 3-2 defeat, ending their Olympic qualification hopes.

Earlier in the tournament, Germany secured qualification by defeating Pakistan 4-0 in the semi-final, while Great Britain earned their spot by defeating New Zealand 3-1. Pakistan had a crucial draw against Malaysia, earning the point needed to advance to the semi-finals. Pakistan’s journey in the qualifiers included a 2-0 victory over China and a 6-1 loss to Great Britain in the pool matches, where they finished second behind Great Britain.