Tom Sorsby helped England to secure their qualification for the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup as they defeated Pakistan 4-1 in the final of the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers.

England remained undefeated in their group stage matches, having not conceded a single goal, before they put on their most convincing performance to defeat Malaysia 7-1 in the semifinal.

On helping England secure qualification for the World Cup, Sheffield-born Sorsby said, "We would have loved to have qualified through the Europeans or through other means, but we still got the job done out in Egypt.”

“Whilst it probably wasn’t a tournament that we would have hoped to be at in the first place, I think we were really, really happy with how we played, as we got the job done and played well as a group, and it ultimately means that we’re in the World Cup and we’ve qualified quite highly ranked.”

Sorsby, who featured in all of England’s matches at the qualifiers in Egypt, was named the Player of the Tournament in recognition of his pivotal role in England’s progression to the final.

One of his most influential performances came in England’s opening match against Japan, in which Sorsby scored two goals to help England claim a convincing 5-0 victory to open their campaign.

On being named as the Player of the Tournament, 29-year-old Sorsby said, "It's really nice. I mean, it’s great to be given that, but I think someone’s not going to get the Player of the Tournament if the team is probably not the best team out there as well.”

“It’s unlikely that someone will shine in a team that’s not doing well, so without the team aspect you don’t get the individual accolades, and it reflects just as much on the whole team, I would say, as it does the contribution that I added to the tournament. Without everyone playing so well around me and me contributing to them and vice versa, yeah, I think those things don’t happen.”

Sorsby’s goal scoring was influential throughout England’s campaign, as alongside his brace in the match against Japan, he also scored in England’s group stage match against Egypt as well as England’s semi-final.

His 4 goals left him as England’s joint top goalscorer, alongside Sam Hooper, and only one goal behind the tournament’s leading scorer, Egypt’s Ahmed El-Ganaini.

On finishing the tournament as England’s joint top goal scorer, Sorsby, who made his international debut in the summer of 2019, said, “It was good. I’ve not necessarily been known for my goals previously for GB and England. I think I managed to more than double my international goal tally in this tournament.”

“Getting on the score sheet is something that I’m definitely trying to work on and trying to develop, so it was nice to contribute with some goals as well as just normal play, so I’m really happy that I could finally get the ball in the back of the goal.”

In June 2026, after the end of his domestic season, Sorsby will return with the rest of England Hockey to London as both the Men’s and Women’s FIH Pro League 2025/26 Season come to a close at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

England Men currently sit 5th in the FIH Pro League with 3 wins and 3 draws from 8 matches.

On his hockey plans ahead of the World Cup, Sorsby said, "We're now back into our domestic seasons, so I’m playing out in the Netherlands for my domestic team, and a few of our guys also do that as well. I think across England and GB there are sort of eight or nine of us playing our domestic hockey in Holland, so I’m back out there now and knuckling down to get ready for the second half of the season.”

“Then we’ll come back together internationally in June with England to play our final games in the Pro League in London, which is something we’re super excited about – playing in front of a home crowd – and then after that, that’s when we kind of lead into prep for the World Cup before the next domestic season starts again in September.”

The 2026 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup will take place from 14 to 30 August in both Belgium and the Netherlands, with England having now cemented their place as one of the 16 teams competing in the 16th edition of the tournament.