Pakistan has withdrawn from the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in Punjab, according to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, with Bangladesh set to replace the team in the tournament scheduled from October 27 to November 5.
Mann said Pakistan’s withdrawal meant that a planned India-Pakistan match on November 1, Punjab Day, would not take place. “We wanted the Pakistan team to come and had scheduled an India-Pakistan contest on Nov 1, Punjab Day. But due to some political hurdles, the Pakistan team would not be able to play here. In its place, Bangladesh will now participate,” he told reporters.
The tournament will be hosted across two Punjab cities. Jalandhar will stage the league matches, while the semi-finals and final will be played in Mohali. Mann said the stadiums in both cities were ready to host the competition.
Reports cited the Pakistan Hockey Federation as saying that its government had not cleared the team’s travel to India. The federation reportedly asked the Asian Hockey Federation either to shift the tournament out of India or to move Pakistan’s matches to a neutral venue, citing the “sensitive bilateral situation” between the two countries.
Punjab had announced on September 14 that it would host the Asian Champions Trophy for the first time. The tournament will bring international hockey to Jalandhar, a city with a long association with the sport, and Mohali, where the final stages are scheduled to be held.
The change in participation also affects the event’s planned match calendar. Mann had earlier highlighted the proposed India-Pakistan fixture as part of the tournament programme, but Bangladesh will now take Pakistan’s place. The supplied report does not provide the revised fixtures or details of how the Asian Hockey Federation will formally update the schedule.
Mann has linked the tournament to Punjab’s longer-term ambition of hosting matches during the 2030 Hockey World Cup, which India is scheduled to host. He said that successfully organising the Asian Champions Trophy would strengthen the state’s bid for a role in that event.
The chief minister said the state government was preparing both stadiums and presenting Punjab as a potential venue for major international competitions. “Our govt is preparing not just two stadiums, but a message for the sporting world. We have the infrastructure, the talent and sporting culture to host big international events,” he had said.
The immediate operational focus now will be the replacement of Pakistan by Bangladesh and the confirmation of the revised tournament schedule. The competition remains scheduled to begin in Jalandhar on October 27, with the semi-finals and final to follow in Mohali before the tournament concludes on November 5.
