- Pakistan exits Asian Hockey Champions Trophy; Bangladesh steps in.
- Tournament hosted in India, October 27 to November 5.
- Pakistan’s neutral venue request for games was denied.
Pakistan Asian Champions Trophy: As per reports in the Pakistani media, the country will not feature in the 2026 Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, with Bangladesh stepping into the six-team tournament in a major change to the line-up. The competition is scheduled to take place in Punjab from October 27 to November 5, with Jalandhar and Mohali set to host the matches.
Hockey India’s list of participating teams features India, Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Bangladesh, confirming Pakistan’s absence from the event.
Bangladesh Gets The Opportunity
Pakistan had initially been part of the tournament but sought a neutral venue for its matches.
However, the request reportedly did not result in a change of plans, with the Asian Hockey Federation and Hockey India maintaining the original venue arrangement.
Bangladesh’s inclusion comes after the team had been kept among the reserve sides for the competition. Oman was also designated as a reserve team.
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The reserve arrangement was designed to ensure the tournament could continue with six teams even if one of the original participants withdrew. Bangladesh has now moved into the main field following Pakistan’s exit.
The development comes against the backdrop of a long-standing sporting divide between India and Pakistan.
The two nations have not played a bilateral hockey series against each other since 2008, although they have continued to meet in various international tournaments.
India’s most recent series in Pakistan came in 2006.
Jalandhar, Mohali To Share Hosting Duties
The tournament will be split between two venues in Punjab. The league-stage fixtures are scheduled to take place at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.
The latter stages of the competition will move to Mohali, where the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium will host the key knockout fixtures.
The event had previously been unveiled in Mohali with Pakistan listed among the participating teams.
With Bangladesh now replacing Pakistan, the tournament has taken on a different shape even before the action begins. India will headline a six-team field that also includes Japan, China, Malaysia and South Korea.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
