Pakistan out of Asia Cup 2025 as hockey tournament begins in India

Three-time champions Pakistan withdrew from the tournament over security concerns and were replaced by Bangladesh.

Pakistan will miss the Asia Cup hockey tournament for the first time in its history due to security concerns as the tournament begins in India on Friday.

The eight-nation tournament is being hosted in Rajgir – a city in India’s northeastern state of Bihar – three months after India and Pakistan returned from the brink of an all-out war on their shared border.

The three-time former champions and one of the founding members of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) have been replaced by Bangladesh in Group B of the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan’s omission from the competition was confirmed by Hockey India’s (HI) President Dilip Kumar Tirkey last week, citing the Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) concerns over their squad’s security in India.

“Pakistan is not coming to this tournament due to security concerns,” Tirkey told Indian news agency ANI.

Tirkey said the host nation “never refused” Pakistan the chance to participate in the competition and that they have withdrawn of their own accord.

Reports in Pakistani media said the PHF informed HI and the AHF of their decision earlier in August, while their omission was confirmed when the tournament’s schedule was announced last week.

India and Pakistan were engaged in a four-day conflict in May, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed. More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, but there are competing claims on the casualties.

Following the escalations, several Indian media outlets reported that the country’s sport bodies would avoid being grouped with Pakistan at global sport tournaments. However, both nations were allocated the same group in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup hosted in India – but with Pakistan playing its matches at a neutral venue.

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The move came on the back of a mutual agreement – brokered by the ICC and signed by the cricket boards of both countries – to “host” its neighbour at a neutral venue at all future global cricket tournaments.

However, no such agreements were signed or brokered by officials for hockey tournaments.

Pakistan’s double jeopardy

Pakistan, which last won the tournament in 1989, will miss out on an opportunity to qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 by not participating in the Asia Cup.

The Asia Cup champions will earn a direct spot in the 2026 World Cup, while teams ranked second to sixth will enter the qualifiers. Pakistan are currently ranked 15th in the FIH World Hockey rankings for men and have bleak prospects of qualifying for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, India will relish the opportunity to not only win the continental title at home but also book their berth in the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands in August 2026.

Defending champions South Korea will also be among the favourites and will target a record-extending sixth Asian crown. Malaysia, Japan, China, Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei are the other participant nations at the 2025 edition.

Shared hockey glory

Hockey is the national sport in both India and Pakistan, and the two South Asian sides ruled the sport until the early 1990s.

The 1947 partition of India that led to the creation of Pakistan and gave birth to a decades-long mostly political rivalry spilled over into sport.

Up until then, the then-Indian team included players from both sides of the border that now divides them, and won gold at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games.

Between them, India and Pakistan have won 11 Olympic gold medals, five world titles, three FIH Champions Trophy titles and given the world dozens of hockey legends.

The two countries last met on the hockey field in the Asian Champions Trophy in 2024, when India won 2-1 and went on to lift the title.

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