Bangladesh finished sixth in the 12th AHF Men鈥檚 Asia Cup after a 6-1 defeat to Japan in the place-decider at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium in Rajgir, India, on Sunday.
The day鈥檚 outcome helped Japan secure a direct place in the 2026 FIH World Cup Qualifiers, while Bangladesh now will have to play a three-match play-off series against three-time Asia Cup winners Pakistan for a spot in the Qualifiers.
However, the venue and schedule of the play-offs are yet to be decided.
In the day鈥檚 match, Japan scored two goals each in the first, third and fourth quarters, while defender Amirul Islam pulled one goal back for Bangladesh by scoring a field goal five minutes from time.
Ryosuke Shinohara scored the highest three goals for Japan, opening his account in the 15th minute from a penalty corner before a field goal in the 38th and another one from a penalty corner in the 56th minute.
Koji Yamasaki scored a field goal in the ninth minute, Ken Nagayoshi from a penalty corner in the 36th, and Seren Tanaka added a field goal in the 50th minute for Japan.
Bangladesh started their campaign with a 4-1 defeat to Malaysia before they earned an 8-3 win over Chinese Taipei and conceded a 5-1 defeat to South Korea to place third in Pool B.
Moshiur Rahman Biplob鈥檚 charges beat Kazakhstan 5-1 and suffered a 6-1 defeat to Japan in the fifth-eighth place deciders.
The winner of the competition will earn a direct qualification to the World Cup, while the next top five teams will secure spots in the qualifiers.
