Germany outplayed England 4-1 and Australia posted a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the semifinals on Thursday at Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The final is on Saturday.
Germany, champions in 2002 and '06 and bidding to become the first team to win three in a row, avenged a loss to England in last year's European Cup final thanks to a fast start.
Jan-Marco Montag gave Germany the lead in the sixth minute and Oliver Korn deflected in a cross from the right to make it 2-0 in the 10th.
England halved the deficit through a penalty-corner conversion by Richard Smith in the 18th, but Germany took a 3-1 cushion into halftime thanks to Martin Haner's 31st-minute goal from another penalty corner.
Linus Butt scored from a penalty corner in the 60th to cap the scoring.
“It was a tough match out there, the scoreboard doesn't quite reflect what happened on the field,” Germany coach Markus Weise said. “We were clinical in the execution of our game plan, but a coach is not always pleased.” Weise felt the early goals helped Germany seize control.
“It might have been a different game if we'd not scored two early goals and England had managed to score one,” he said.
England coach Jason Lee believed his side's problem was a lack of experience.
“Experience was a huge factor,” he said. “This was only our second appearance in the World Cup semifinals, while Germany's been there 11 times.
“Going 2-0 down was the turning point. We ended up chasing shadows. The semifinal did not do justice to the way we played in this tournament.” England was last in the World Cup semis in 1986, but still has a chance to add to its silver medal from that year. It will meet the Netherlands for the bronze medal before the final.
In the second semi, Luke Doerner converted Australia's first penalty corner to open the scoring in the 27th minute and Glenn Turner's flash strike in open play doubled the lead in the 55th.
The Netherlands finally replied three minutes later with a penalty stroke conversion by Taeke Taekema, but the equalizer remained elusive despite repeated attacks.
“It was a tough game. We held the ball most of the time, and most importantly scored goals,” Australia coach Ric Charlesworth said.
“Our game was not as solid as I want it to be, but we showed enough quality that took us to the final.” The Kookaburras will be seeking to add to their 1986 title in their fourth final. They haven't beaten Germany at the World Cup since the 1994 bronze medal game.
Earlier, four-time champion Pakistan slumped to its lowest finish at a World Cup, coming last after losing 3-2 to Canada in the playoff for the final two positions in the 12-nation tournament.
Scott Tupper's golden goal in the 13th minute of extra time clinched victory for Canada after the teams were tied 2-2 following 70 minutes of regulation play.
Pakistan finished with five losses and one victory in the tournament.
Within hours of the defeat, Pakistan Hockey Federation president Qasim Zia fired the team management and the selection committee.
The PHF said in a statement that Zia “has dissolved the team management and national selection committee after the poor performance in the World Cup.” Another statement from the team management quoted captain Zeeshan Ashraf as saying that “all 18 players have decided to retire from international hockey.” Former Olympians Hasan Sardar, Rana Mujahid, Khalid Bashir and Farhat Khan were on the selection panel while the team was coached by Shahid Ali Khan.
Zia said the PHF will hold an inquiry into Pakistan's performance and will call a meeting of its executive committee once the team arrives home.
Team manager Asif Bajwa will continue as PHF secretary.
Shahid Ali Khan, a former goalkeeper who was a member of the 1982 World Cup-winning team, blamed established players for the team's poor display.
“Senior players like Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abassi and Sohail Abbas let us down - they did not fulfill expectations,” Khan said. “These players were supposed to lead the youngsters but couldn't perform well themselves.
“Our team underperformed in the tournament. This is our worst-ever performance at international level. I can't tell you how I'm feeling right now. The team's morale before this match was low and I found it difficult to motivate the team to play for the game to decide the last two positions.”
Khan said he would give a detailed report to the federation “so that the cause of Pakistan hockey's decline is addressed.”
