Gifu:Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium The Malaysian men's hockey team saw their Olympic aspirations thwarted after a 1-5 loss to India in the final of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, this defeat means Malaysia missed the opportunity to secure an automatic qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. A similar chance was previously missed during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.

India took an early lead with Harmanpreet Singh scoring from a penalty corner in the 11th minute. Malaysia quickly responded with a goal by Shello Silverius three minutes later. However, Jugraj Singh restored India's lead in the 23rd minute.

During the third quarter, India capitalized on a penalty corner, leading to a penalty stroke converted by Hardik Singh in the 42nd minute. In the final quarter, India extended their lead with goals from Shilanand Lakra and another from Harmanpreet Singh, securing a 5-1 victory.

Malaysia, yet to win a men's hockey gold at the Asian Games, has previously earned silver medals at the 2010 Guangzhou and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang editions. The team last competed in the Olympics in Rio 2016, and now must find an alternative path to qualify for LA28.