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LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey team will participate in the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Cup Qualifiers 2026 after opting out of the Men’s Asia Cup.
The Hockey Asia Cup 2025, which serves as a qualifying event for the World Cup 2026, is scheduled to be held in Rajgir, India, from August 27 to September 7.
According to FIH qualifying criteria, the winner of the Hockey Asia Cup will secure automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
A few days earlier, the Pakistan Hockey team withdrew from the Asia Cup due to growing political tensions and serious security concerns for its players.
Now, the Pakistan Hockey team will be looking for its first and only chance to qualify for the mega event.
It is noteworthy to mention that the FIH World Cup 2026 qualifiers are scheduled from February 28 to March 8 next year.
The hockey governing body will hold qualifying tournaments on the scheduled dates, with a maximum of eight teams participating in each event. The top three teams from each round will advance to the World Cup.
Among the teams that will participate in the qualifiers are the United States, Canada, Chile, France, England, Austria, Poland, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.
The qualifiers will feature five teams from Asia and one from Africa, including Pakistan hockey team.
In total, 16 teams will be in action in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026, which will be held in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30.
Besides, seven teams that will play qualifiers, nine team have already secured their place in the marquee event.
Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, Spain, Argentina, and Germany are six strong teams that have already secured their spots in World Cup 2026.
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