Hockey in Pakistan

Pakistani hockey has for decades been one of the most successful sports programmes in the world. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) coordinates what at home is still the official national sport. With four world titles (1971 Barcelona, 1978 Buenos Aires, 1982 Bombay and 1994 Sydney) Pakistan is the most successful World Cup nation of all time. Names like Sohail Abbas (348 international goals, the second highest tally ever), Waseem Ahmed (410 caps) and the "Flying Horse" Samiullah Khan form the country's hockey pantheon.

What systemically sets Pakistan apart is the combination of a rich historical heritage and a chronic shortage of stable governance. Since 2018 the team has not played a World Cup. In the build-up to 2026 the head coach changed three times in six weeks: Khawaja Junaid led the team through Ismailia to silver, after which the Australian Colin Batch took over, only to be replaced in early April 2026 by Olympic bronze medallist Manzoor Ul-Hassan. A new selection committee led by Samiullah Khan focuses on long-term development over short-term success.

Tactically, Pakistan plays a style that analysts describe as "chaos as a strategic weapon": direct vertical balls, individual circle action and a striking strong fourth quarter in which nearly 40% of their goals fell during the Ismailia qualification. At the same time, key players seek structural league experience outside Pakistan: Rana Waheed in the German Bundesliga, Sufyan Khan and Ahmed Nadeem in the French league, Ammad Butt and Moin Shakeel in Hong Kong. This internationalisation is the direct response to financial shortages at home, where there is no professional league like Hockey India League or the Belgian Honor Division to keep players structurally paid. The Pro League tour to Australia in early 2026 collapsed over unpaid hotel bills, a symbol of the governance crisis from which Manzoor Ul-Hassan must now build a sporting way out. At the 2026 World Cup Pakistan sits in Pool D in Amstelveen against India, England and Wales — a group that international media immediately christened the "Group of Death". The match against arch-rivals India on 19 August is more than a hockey match: it is a politicised rivalry that goes back to 1956 and counts more than 180 head-to-head meetings.