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Asia Cup hockey tournament concludes with Bangladesh securing sixth position once more

Avoiding direct participation in the World Cup qualifiers is the resulting scenario for Bangladesh, as they finish sixth.

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2025 September 15 . 8:13 PM

2 min read

Bangladesh concludes their run in the Asia Cup hockey tournament in 6th position

Asia Cup hockey tournament concludes with Bangladesh securing sixth position once more

Bangladesh's national hockey team suffered a disappointing 6-1 defeat to Japan in the fifth-sixth place play-off of the Asia Cup hockey. The loss means that Moshioor Rahman's side will now have to compete in a three-match play-off series against Pakistan to secure a place in the World Cup qualifiers.

Lt. Colonel Riazul Hasan (retd.) has expressed hope that the series will be hosted in Dhaka, provided the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) is satisfied with the turf conditions. However, as of now, no specific dates, times, or venues have been announced for the series.

The match against Japan saw Bangladesh holding their opponents goalless in the second quarter, but the third and fourth quarters proved to be a different story. In the 35th and 38th minutes, Japan scored twice, taking advantage of a faltering Bangladeshi defence. Amirul Islam scored Bangladesh's only goal in the match, but it was not enough to prevent the defeat.

Japan, currently ranked 18th in the world, dominated the game from the start, conceding three penalty corners in the opening eight minutes. However, Bangladesh failed to convert any of these opportunities. Shinohara Rosuke doubled Japan's lead just before the end of the first quarter, and the team never looked back.

Since 1982, Bangladesh have participated in the Asia Cup hockey 12 times, with their best result being a fifth-place finish. The sixth-placed team must play a play-off against Pakistan to secure a place in the World Cup qualifiers. The AHF introduced a special rule that only the top five teams qualify directly for the World Cup qualifiers.

The Asian Hockey inspection team is yet to finalise the venue and schedule of the series, but if the turf in Dhaka is deemed suitable, Bangladesh may have the opportunity to host the series on home soil. The team is determined to bounce back from this defeat and secure a place in the World Cup qualifiers.