Pakistan’s men’s hockey team will have to overcome a tough challenge from Germany in order to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The draw for the Olympic qualifiers was held on Saturday, November 6, 2023, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Olympic qualifiers format and schedule
The Olympic qualifiers will feature 14 teams divided into seven pairs, with each pair playing a two-legged tie in April 2024. The winners of each tie will secure a spot in the 12-team Olympic hockey tournament, joining the six continental champions and the host nation France.
The draw was based on the FIH World Rankings as of October 31, 2023, with the top seven teams seeded and the remaining seven teams unseeded. The seeded teams were assigned a letter from A to G, while the unseeded teams were assigned a number from 1 to 7. The pairs were then determined by a random draw, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg of the tie.
The pairs are as follows:
- A1: Australia (1) vs Canada (14)
- B2: Belgium (2) vs Malaysia (13)
- C3: Netherlands (3) vs Egypt (12)
- D4: Germany (4) vs Pakistan (11)
- E5: India (5) vs Ireland (10)
- F6: Argentina (6) vs South Africa (9)
- G7: Great Britain (7) vs Japan (8)
The first leg of the qualifiers will be played from April 5 to 7, 2024, while the second leg will be played from April 12 to 14, 2024. The exact dates, venues and times of the matches will be announced later by the FIH.
Pakistan’s chances against Germany
Pakistan, the four-time Olympic champions, will face a formidable opponent in Germany, the two-time Olympic champions and the bronze medalists at Tokyo 2020. The two teams have a rich history of rivalry, having met 12 times at the Olympics, with Pakistan winning six times, Germany winning five times and one draw.
The last time they faced each other at the Olympics was in 2012, when Germany beat Pakistan 1-0 in the group stage. The last time they met in any competition was in 2018, when Germany thrashed Pakistan 6-1 in the FIH Champions Trophy.
Pakistan, currently ranked 11th in the world, will have to improve their performance and consistency to challenge Germany, who are ranked fourth. Pakistan failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, after losing to the Netherlands in the qualifiers in 2019. They also missed out on the 2016 Rio Olympics, after finishing fifth in the Hockey World League Semi-Final in 2015.
Pakistan’s coach Khawaja Junaid expressed confidence in his team’s ability to qualify for Paris 2024, saying that they have been working hard to improve their skills and fitness. He said that they will prepare well for the qualifiers and try to give their best against Germany.
“We have a young and talented team, and we have been playing some good hockey in the recent tournaments. We have also been training hard to improve our physical and mental strength. We know that Germany is a tough team, but we are not afraid of them. We will play with passion and pride, and try to qualify for the Olympics,” he said.
Pakistan’s captain Rizwan Ali also echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying that they are ready to face any challenge. He said that they have a lot of respect for Germany, but they also have a lot of confidence in themselves.
“Germany is one of the best teams in the world, and they have a lot of experience and quality. But we are also a good team, and we have a lot of potential and talent. We have been playing together for a long time, and we have a good understanding and chemistry. We are ready to face any challenge, and we will give our 100 per cent to qualify for the Olympics,” he said.
