Pakistan out of Asian Champions Trophy hockey after refusing to play in India; Bangladesh in

Pakistan has been dropped from the Asian Champions Trophy hockey 2026. Bangladesh will now play in the main event in its place, because Pakistan had flatly refused to play its matches in India.

The tournament will run from October 27 to November 5. Matches will be played in Jalandhar and Mohali, with India as host. Hockey India shared the details in a statement. Besides India, the teams from Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Bangladesh will take part. International hockey is returning to Punjab after nearly two decades.

After the tournament was announced, the Pakistan Hockey Federation declined to play in India. It demanded that its matches be held at a neutral venue. The demand was later rejected. For this reason, Pakistan is now out of the event. Its participation had earlier been considered almost certain.

After Pakistan withdrew, a replacement was picked from the reserve teams. Bangladesh and Oman were the reserves, and it was decided to include the Bangladesh hockey team in the main event. Bangladesh thus joins the tournament as the sixth team.

Pakistan last played in the Asian Champions Trophy in 2023, when it finished fifth among six teams.

India has won the title four times. The Indian team recently also won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, where its performance was outstanding. With the gold medal, India also secured its place in the 2028 Olympics. The team is playing well under captain Harmanpreet Singh, and expectations of it in the Champions Trophy are high.

India and Pakistan always play ICC and Asia Cup tournaments at neutral venues. This time, Pakistan's demand for a neutral venue in hockey was not accepted, and it had to drop out of the event.