Friday 03 / April / 2026
Bangkok— The Omani national hockey team began its campaign in the Asian Games qualifiers with an important 4–1 victory over Indonesia in a match held today in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
The qualifiers feature nine Asian teams competing for places in the Asian Games finals, scheduled to take place in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
Oman delivered a strong performance in its opening match, with Elias Al-Nofli named Player of the Match for his key contribution to the team’s win.
The competition includes the national teams of Oman, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia, divided into two groups. Group one comprises Oman, Hong Kong, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia, while group two includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, and Uzbekistan.
The group stage follows a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. The first-placed team from one group faces the second-placed team from the other group, while the winners progress to the final and the losers compete for third place. Teams finishing third and fourth in each group will play classification matches to determine positions from fifth to eighth.
Six teams from these qualifiers will secure qualification to complete the Asian Games lineup, alongside teams that have already qualified: India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, and China.
Oman will face Thailand in its second match on Saturday, followed by a clash with Hong Kong next Monday, before concluding the group stage against Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
