Malaysia and Japan secured crucial victories at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Ismailia on Wednesday to book their places in the semi-finals, joining England and Pakistan in the final four.

Malaysia edged China 5–4 in a closely contested match. Fitri Saari opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a drag flick that deflected off a defender’s stick. China responded quickly, with Yaqi Wang scoring from a pass by Xu Ao before Yulai Zhao converted a penalty stroke to give China the lead. Aiman Rozemi levelled the match before halftime. Malaysia regained the advantage through Faiz Jali and later extended it with another penalty stroke from Fitri Saari and a tap-in by Faizal Saari. China fought back through Zhao’s second goal and a penalty corner strike from Benhai Chen, but Malaysia held on to win. Aiman Rozemi was named player of the match.

Japan defeated Egypt 6–3 in a high-scoring encounter featuring two hat-tricks. Captain Raiki Fujishima and Kazumasa Matsumoto scored early to give Japan a strong start. Egypt’s Ahmed Elganaini scored three goals to level the match, but Matsumoto restored Japan’s lead before Fujishima completed his hat-trick with two late drag flicks. Koji Yamasaki was named player of the match.

Pakistan also maintained its winning run with a 4–2 victory over Austria in the group stage. The semi-finals will see England face Malaysia and Pakistan take on Japan on Friday.