In a major development, Pakistan has officially withdrawn from the upcoming edition of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2026. It is interesting to note that the tournament was slated to be held in India, and with Pakistan’s request for their games to be moved to a neutral venue, the side has decided to pull out.
The PHF (Pakistan Hockey Federation) sought a neutral venue for their games in the tournament, but their request was rejected. PHF cited concerns due to heightened tensions between the two countries. After Pakistan’s withdrawal, Bangladesh has been named as the team’s replacement in the tournament.
Notably, the marquee event is slated to be held from October 27 to November 5, with Jalandhar and Mohali selected as venues for the tournament. The PHF requested the AHF (Asian Hockey Federation), but the AHF stated that the tournament will be held as originally planned despite their security concerns.
India’s record at the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy
Through the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, international hockey makes its return to Punjab after two decades. The likes of Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Bangladesh will be participating in the tournament. As for Pakistan, the side last played in India in the 2023 edition of the tournament. The side finished in fifth place out of the six.
Speaking of the Indian team, the Indian hockey team will be coming off a historic gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. The side has won the tournament four times so far, and they will be looking to win it for the fifth time.
Ahead of the tournament, the men’s team’s head coach, Craig Fulton, took centre stage and talked about how the side is completely focused on winning the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy. “The Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 is a new challenge, on home soil, and we need to bring the same hunger, discipline and intensity to every match as we look to build on our success. Winning the Asian Games gold in Japan was a special achievement for this group. But now the celebrations are behind us and our focus has to shift quickly,” said Fulton. India will face Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Bangladesh at the tournament,” Fulton was quoted as saying by Sportscape.