Field hockey at the 1964 Summer Olympics was a sport open only to men. 15 teams played in the field hockey competition.
The preliminary round was conducted by breaking the 15 teams into two groups of 7 and 8 teams. The groups then played a round-robin tournament with each team playing the other teams in the group once. 2 points were awarded for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 for a loss. The top two teams from each group advanced to the semifinals while the third and fourth played in consolation semifinals.
Group A
Pakistan def. Australia 2-1
Pakistan def. Kenya 5-2
Pakistan def. Japan 1-0
Pakistan def. Great Britain 1-0
Pakistan def. Rhodesia 6-0
Pakistan def. New Zealand 2-0
Kenya def. Australia 1-0
Australia def. Japan 3-1
Australia def. Great Britain 7-0
Australia def. Rhodesia 3-0
Australia def. New Zealand 2-1
Japan def. Kenya 2-0
Kenya def. Great Britain 1-0
Kenya tied Rhodesia 0-0
Kenya def. New Zealand 3-2
Great Britain def. Japan 1-0
Japan def. Rhodesia 2-1
Japan def. New Zealand 1-0
Great Britain def. Rhodesia 4-1
New Zealand def. Great Britain 2-0
Rhodesia def. New Zealand 2-1
Group B
India tied Spain 1-1
India tied United Team of Germany 1-1
India def. Netherlands 2-1
India def. Malaysia 3-1
India def. Belgium 2-0
India def. Canada 3-0
India def. Hong Kong 6-0
Spain tied United Team of Germany 1-1
Spain tied Netherlands 1-1
Spain def. Malaysia 3-0
Spain def. Belgium 3-0
Spain def. Canada 3-0
Spain def. Hong Kong 4-0
United Team of Germany def. Netherlands 1-0
United Team of Germany tied Malaysia 0-0
United Team of Germany tied Belgium 0-0
United Team of Germany def. Canada 5-1
United Team of Germany tied Hong Kong 1-1
Netherlands def. Malaysia 2-0
Netherlands def. Belgium 4-0
Netherlands def. Canada 5-0
Netherlands def. Hong Kong 7-0
Malaysia tied Belgium 3-3
Malaysia def. Canada 3-1
Malaysia def. Hong Kong 4-1
Belgium def. Canada 5-1
Belgium def. Hong Kong 2-0
Canada def. Hong Kong 2-1
The top two teams in each of the groups played in the 1st-4th semifinals, with the winner of each group playing the second-place team in the other group. The third and fourth team in each group played in the consolation semifinals
The winners of the semifinals played for the gold and silver medals, while the losers played for the bronze medal and 4th place. The winners of the consolation semifinals played for 5th and 6th places.