Men’s Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026 fixtures released; India to open against Bangladesh
The Asian Hockey Federation on Friday released the match schedule for the Men’s Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026, which will be staged in Punjab from October 27 to November 5. The opening ceremony is set for October 27, with hosts India scheduled to begin their campaign against Bangladesh that day.
Matches will be held at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar and the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. Jalandhar will host all league-stage fixtures from October 27 to November 2 before the tournament shifts to Mohali for the knockout phase. The semi-finals are scheduled for November 4, with the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches on November 5 at the Mohali venue. Six nations will contest the title: India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Bangladesh.
The competition will employ a single round-robin league format in which each team plays five matches and the top four progress to the semi-finals. There are three scheduled rest days on October 28, October 31 and November 3.
India enter the tournament as title holders and the reigning Asian Games champions and are listed as the top-ranked team in the announcement. The hosts are five-time Asian Champions Trophy winners, having lifted the trophy in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winners with Pakistan), 2023 and 2024.
India’s five league matches are: Bangladesh on October 27, China on October 29, Japan on October 30, Malaysia on November 1 and South Korea on November 2; all five matches are scheduled to start at 1900 hrs IST.
Pakistan withdrew from the tournament, citing safety issues after their request to host the tournament at a neutral venue was rejected.
“The announcement of the match schedule adds to the excitement for the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026. We are delighted to welcome the teams from across Asia to Punjab and look forward to witnessing some high-quality hockey,” said Hockey India President, Dr. Dilip Tirkey.
Hockey India Secretary General, Shri Bhola Nath Singh, also shared his sentiments. “With the schedule now announced, the countdown to the Men’s Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026 has truly begun. Hockey India is proud to host participating nations and showcase Punjab’s passion and hospitality. “We look forward to an exciting and competitive tournament that brings fans closer to the sport while giving every team an opportunity to perform at the highest level,” said the Secretary General.
The announcement described Punjab as the nursery of Indian hockey, saying the state has produced generations of iconic players and that the return of international hockey to Punjab will bring the sport closer to its passionate fan base. India will begin its campaign on October 27 against Bangladesh.