KARACHI (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s national hockey team on Sunday departed for the Netherlands to compete in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup starting August 15, 2026.
The event will mark return of the Men in Green to the global showpiece after missing the 2023 edition in India.
Co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, the 2026 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup starts on August 15, 2026.
Sixteen national teams are divided into four pools for the group stage.
Pool A: Netherlands, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, France, Malaysia
Pool C: Australia, Spain, Ireland, South Africa
Pool D: England, India, Pakistan, Wales
Men’s Hockey World Cup opening fixtures
August 15, 2026
India vs Wales (Pool D) – 4:00 PM PKT
Germany vs Malaysia (Pool B) – 5:30 PM PKT
England vs Pakistan (Pool D) – 10:00 PM PKT
Pakistan, the four-time world champions, will play their first-round matches in Amstelveen (The Netherlands).
Pakistan chief selector and former Olympian Samiullah remained cautious about the team’s prospects but hoped a ‘spirited performance’ could help the side produce a respectable campaign.
“Although I don’t have much hope, but if the boys play spiritedly, better results could be pulled off.”
“England and India are tough teams and even Wales are not a bad side. In the Pro League, we played two matches each against England and India and lost all four, but in two of those matches we lost by a close margin. If we win one game and earn one draw, then we can create hope of progressing to the next stage,” he said.
Pakistan World Cup squad
Waqar, Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Sufyan Khan, Moin Shakeel, Abdul Waheed Ashraf Rana, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Zikriya Hayat, Arshad Liaquat, Adeel Latif, Ahmad Nadeem, Ghazanfar Ali, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Muhammad Hammaduddin Anjum, Rehman Abdul Afraz, Umar Mustafa, Abu Bakar Mahmood (captain), Ali Raza, Abdul Manan, Muhammad Ammad.
Goalkeepers: Waqar and Ali Raza.
