Team Pakistan All Set to Visit India for Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025

IHF, Hockey Asia Cup, Harmanpreet Singh, Ammad Butt

April 1, 2025

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Team Pakistan All Set to Visit India for Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025

When the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was hosted by Pakistan after a gap of 29 years, India had refused to send its men’s cricket team there, citing security concerns. This decline was not appreciated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and remarks were also raised against the ICC for considering India’s special request to have their matches at a neutral venue.

However, despite this snub by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Pakistan’s national hockey team plans to participate in the upcoming Hockey Asia Cup being hosted by India this year.

As per the latest information received, Pakistan men’s hockey team, led by the current captain Ammad Butt is set to arrive in India for the Asia Cup, slated to be held from 29 August – 07 September 2025, in the newly-constructed sports complex of Rajgir, a historic city in Bihar. India Hockey Federation will look to play the role of being a perfect host and the Indian team, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh will aim to beat the rivals.

IHF, Hockey Asia Cup, Harmanpreet Singh, Ammad Butt

Earlier also the men’s hockey team from the neighboring country was in India in 2023, to take part in the Asian Champions Trophy held in Chennai back in the day.

“Any match between India and Pakistan anywhere in the world is always exciting and good to watch. In 2023 also, when the ACT was held in Chennai, the two teams played a good game. And I expect it to be similar when the two teams face off in Rajgir also for which the fans would come in numbers,” Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey was quoted, as per a report published by the Times of India.

For hockey fans, the rivalry between India and Pakistan is as epic as is witnessed in the field of cricket. While for cricket there was apparent reluctance to travel to each other’s countries, the same is not the case for hockey, as Pakistan athletes are preparing themselves to visit India and set their eyes on winning the Asia Cup 2025.

Despite diplomatic tensions, players of both the nations have travelled to the other side in the past.

IHF, Hockey Asia Cup, Harmanpreet Singh, Ammad Butt

The Indian Davis Cup Team visited Pakistan last year. Pakistan Football team visited India in 2023 to take part in the SAFF Championship. The Indian contingent has also participated at the Bridge Federation of Asia, and Middle East Championships, held in Lahore that year.

In the upcoming Hockey Asia Cup 2025, the teams that have already qualified are India, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, China and Malaysia. This will be the 12th edition of the tournament, the quadrennial international men’s field hockey championship of Asia organized by the Asian Hockey Federation.

The winner will qualify for the 2026 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. South Korea has been the defending champions of this title since their win in 2022, and have also emerged victorious five times, the highest by any competing nation so far.

India and Pakistan, both have won the tournament three times until now. Whether either of them adds a fourth to their list is something, the hockey enthusiasts will get to witness during the tournament.

By: Tulika Agarwal