India and Pakistan players greeted each other with high-fives ahead of their crucial FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Pool-D match at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands on Wednesday.
Earlier in the year during the FIH Pro League, the two teams also shook hands after the national anthems and after the end of the match in London.
This gesture comes in the backdrop of heightened political tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025, in which 26 people were killed, and the subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Both teams have huge stakes in this match, with a win confirming their progression to the next round at this edition.
For India, just a draw will confirm its berth in the second group stage of the 2026 edition under the new format. But for Pakistan, it will need to come out with all three points from this fixture.
Published on Aug 19, 2026
