Asian Champions Trophy: Pakistan confirms attendance, India to face arch-rivals in Jalandhar on Nov 1

Pakistan will play in defending champions India in the Asian Champions Trophy, with the arch-rivals set to face each other in Jalandhar on November 1, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said. “Pakistan Hockey Federation has confirmed its participation.

Pakistan’s participation is in accordance with the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs’ policy allowing teams from the neighbouring country to compete in multi-national events hosted in India,” Mann said. The announcement comes amid continuing restrictions on bilateral sporting engagements between India and Pakistan.

“There is no problem in multi-national tournaments. Maybe individual series (between India and Pakistan) cannot take place,” Mann said. Apart from Indian and Pakistan, the tournament, to be held from October 27 to November 5, will feature China, Japan, Malaysia, and Korea and will be played in Punjab, he said.

Oman and Bangladesh have been kept as reserve teams in case of withdrawals. The event, which is held under the aegis of the Asian Hockey Federation, is an annual competition but was not held last year. The league stage will be played at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar, while the semi-finals and final will be held at the Olympian Sardar Balbir Singh Hockey Stadium in Mohali.

The tournament will open with with Japan taking on Malaysia. India’s league matches will be played against Korea on October 27, China on October 29, Malaysia on October 30, Pakistan on November 1 and Japan on November 2.

The league stage will be held in Jalandhar, while the semi-finals on November 4 and final on November 5 will be played in Mohali. The central sports policy bars any bilateral engagement with the Pakistan against which India had launched a brief military offensive last year after the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 people.

However, adhering to the Olympic Charter, the Sports Ministry has stated that the two countries can compete against each other in multi-lateral events and India would not stop athletes from across the border to play here for such engagements.

Despite this, Pakistan had withdrawn from the Junior World Cup of hockey in Tamil Nadu last year, citing high tensions between the two countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Its participation in the Punjab tournament therefore assumes added significance.

Mann said the November 1 clash falling on Punjab Day would make it particularly significant for the state. “The India-Pakistan encounter will be one of the biggest attractions of the tournament. The match will coincide with Punjab Day, making the occasion even more special for the people of Punjab,” Mann said.

“For hockey lovers, the India-Pakistan match is not about hatred. It is about the passion of hockey, the roar of the spectators and the beauty of sport,” he added. Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said the hockey federations of the two countries maintained good relations despite political tensions.

“I want to say this on record that we share very good relations between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan,” Bhola Nath Singh said, adding that Pakistani players had shown “immense respect” to the Indian team. The tournament, organised under the aegis of the Asian Hockey Federation, will mark the return of international hockey to Punjab after 18 years.

The last international tournament hosted by the state was the Punjab Gold Cup in Chandigarh in 2008. India had won the 2023 edition of Asian Chamipons Trophy in Chennai and 2024 edition in Hulunbuir, China. The tournament was not held last year.

For Punjab, the tournament is also an attempt to bring international hockey back to a state that has traditionally supplied a large share of India’s players. Mann said more than nine players from Punjab were part of India’s bronze-medal-winning teams at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

The Punjab government has committed Rs 25.40 crore towards the tournament and renovation of the two stadiums. Hockey Punjab president Nitin Kohli said the renovation of the Jalandhar stadium would be completed by the end of September and expressed hope that the tournament would mark the beginning of Punjab hosting more international hockey events.

Entry to all matches will be free, Mann said. Government-school students from across Punjab will also be brought to watch the matches. “Punjab’s people have given hockey its heart, so when international hockey returns to Punjab, the people must be able to watch it without any financial barrier.

This is an honour for us to host this tournament and we will do our best to make it a huge success,” Mann said. Hockey India also indicated that Punjab could soon have representation in both the men’s and women’s Hockey India League, with Bhola Nath Singh saying teams from the state were being considered.