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The Men’s Asian Champions Trophy will mark Punjab’s first hosting of the continental event, with Pakistan among six teams all set to compete in Mohali and Jalandhar in October.
The Pakistan men’s hockey team will travel to India in October (Picture credit: FIH)
The Pakistan men’s hockey team is set to feature in the men’s Asian Champions Trophy in India next month in Mohali, Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday, citing the Indian government’s policy which permits India and Pakistan to play on Indian soil during multi-lateral tournaments.
The Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled from October 27 to November 5, will feature India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and Korea, with games to be played at hockey stadiums in Jalandhar and Mohali.
Oman and Bangladesh have also been named as reserve teams in case any of the participating teams pull out. The tournament, held under the aegis of the Asian Hockey Federation, is an annual event but wasn’t held in 2025.
India enter the competition as defending champions, having won the title in 2023 (Chennai) and 2024 (Hulunbuir, China).
“There is no problem in multi-national tournaments. Maybe individual series (India and Pakistan) can’t take place,” Mann said while speaking to the media.
India’s central sports policy on Pakistan bars bilateral sporting engagements with the neighbouring nation, against which India launched a brief military offensive last year after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
But in line with the Olympic Charter, the Sports Ministry has clarified that India and Pakistan can compete against each other in multilateral tournaments, while athletes from across the border will not be barred from participating in such competitions hosted in India.
Despite the policy, Pakistan withdrew from the 2025 Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu, citing heightened tensions between the two nations in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
Mann said that league-stage ACT games will be played at Jalandhar, while the semi-final and the final will be played at Mohali Stadium.
Assuring full support for the event, Mann said that Punjab was committed to hosting the tournament, which will be the first of its kind to be held in the state.
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Men’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament will be played at hockey stadiums in Jalandhar and Mohali, located in the state of Punjab. The league-stage games are scheduled to take place in Jalandhar, while the semi-final and final matches will be hosted at the Mohali Stadium.
Ask News18September 14, 2026, 14:30 IST
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