Islamabad, September 14, 2026: Pakistan’s proposed tour to India for next month’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament is subject to government clearance, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani said on Monday.
Wani, who is also federal secretary of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, said the PHF would follow the government’s decision regarding the national team’s participation.
“The visit of the Pakistan team will depend on government clearance. We will do whatever the government asks us to do,” Wani said, adding that a statement by Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had no bearing on the PHF’s position.
Mann, according to Press Trust of India (PTI), said Pakistan would be among the six teams competing in the Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held from October 27 to November 5.
“There is no problem in multi-national tournaments. Maybe individual series [between India and Pakistan] cannot take place,” Mann said at an event in Mohali when asked about Pakistan’s participation and the required clearances.
The tournament will feature hosts India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. League matches are scheduled to be played in Jalandhar, while the semi-finals and final will be held in Mohali.
Mann said the proposed India-Pakistan match on November 1 in Jalandhar would be one of the tournament’s major attractions and coincide with Punjab Day.
“India and Pakistan may have their rivalries on the hockey field, but sport has its own language,” PTI quoted Mann as saying.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, who was also present at the event, described relations between the hockey federations of the two countries as “excellent”.
India’s sports policy bars bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan amid tensions between the two countries. However, the Sports Ministry has maintained that the two sides can compete in multilateral events in accordance with the Olympic Charter.
Pakistan withdrew from last year’s Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu, citing heightened tensions between the two countries in May 2025.
The Asian Champions Trophy is being organised under the aegis of the Asian Hockey Federation. The tournament was not held last year, while India are the defending champions after winning the 2023 edition in Chennai and the 2024 tournament in Hulunbuir, China. Pakistan participated in the 2023 edition.
The tournament will open in Jalandhar on October 27, with the final scheduled for November 5 in Mohali.
