Kawasaki juko hockey stadium

Kawasaki Juko Hockey Stadium: Defending Champions India men punched their ticket to the semifinals with a hard-fought 2-0 win over the hosts to register their fourth consecutive victory in Pool A in the Asian Games 2026 on a rainy Saturday in Kakamigahara, Japan.

In a match played under persistent rain at the Kawasaki Juko Hockey Stadium, Japan made India fight every inch. However, goals by Abhishek and captain Harmanpreet Singh were enough to take the title-holders through to the last-four stage of the competition, with a pool match against Bangladesh left to play on September 28.

The match against Japan was a landmark moment for Indian defender Sanjay, who played his 100th senior international match.