Monday Decides the ACT Semi-Finals: India Chase Top Spot, Malaysia and Japan Fight for Second
The semi-finalists are set. Monday is about who plays who. The Asian Champions Trophy league stage wraps up in Jalandhar on Monday with three games, and while India, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea are all through to Mohali, the order they finish in is still up for grabs.
Here is the card, in Pakistan time: China against Bangladesh at 2:00pm, Malaysia against Japan at 4:15pm, and India against South Korea at 6:30pm. And here is the table they are playing for: India 12 points, Malaysia 9, Japan 7, South Korea 6, China 1, Bangladesh 0.
India’s job is the simplest. A point against Korea guarantees top spot and a semi-final against the fourth-placed side. Harmanpreet Singh is in the form of his life after Sunday’s hat-trick against Malaysia took him to eight goals for the tournament, and India have won all four games so far, scoring 26 goals. Korea, though, are dangerous. They have won two on the bounce, including Sunday’s 5-0 win over Bangladesh, and a win over India would lift them to nine points and could push them as high as third. That is a very different semi-final draw.
Malaysia against Japan is the big one for second place. Malaysia sit on nine points, Japan on seven, so a Japan win would take them to ten and above Malaysia. A Malaysia win keeps them second and, in theory, keeps the top spot alive, though India would have to lose heavily for the goal difference to swing. Either way, the winner of this one avoids India in the semi-finals, and that matters. Nobody wants the champions-elect a round early.
The opener is about pride and fifth place. China have one point from their late draw with Japan on Sunday, Bangladesh have none. A draw keeps China fifth, while a Bangladesh win would lift them off the bottom and send China into the 5th/6th playoff as the last-placed side. For two teams still searching for a first win, that is plenty to play for.
After Monday, the tournament moves to Mohali. Wednesday 4 November has the 5th/6th playoff at 1:30pm and the two semi-finals at 4:00pm and 6:30pm Pakistan time, with the bronze medal match and the final on Thursday 5 November. Monday decides who gets which semi-final, and on Sunday’s evidence, India will take some stopping no matter who they face.
Related:
https://sportscursor.com/india-4-2-malaysia-harmanpreet-hat-trick-act-1-november-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/korea-5-0-bangladesh-act-semi-race-1-november-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/mohali-act-knockouts-semis-4-november-final-5-november-2026/
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https://sportscursor.com/latest-news/
