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Defending champions India are in a different pool from arch-rivals Pakistan for the men's hockey competition at the Asian Games 2026 and the two sides cannot meet before the knockout stage of the continental showpiece.
The draw, confirmed by the organisers on Friday, placed India in Pool A alongside hosts Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Pakistan are in Pool B with Malaysia, China, Oman, Uzbekistan and Thailand, according to Olympics.com. The draw means an India-Pakistan clash, one of Asian hockey's most anticipated fixtures, can only take place in the semi-finals or the medal matches if both teams progress beyond the league stage. In the women's competition, India are in Pool B with Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Uzbekistan. Pool A comprises China, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh. A total of 12 teams will compete in both the men's and women's tournaments, with the sides divided into two pools of six. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals, while the remaining teams will play classification matches. The hockey competition at the Asian Games will be held from September 18 to October 3 at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan. The women's medal matches are scheduled for October 2, while the men's podium contests will take place a day later. India's men's team will head to Aichi-Nagoya as the defending champions. They won gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. Led by Harmanpreet Singh, India defeated Japan in the final to claim their fourth Asian Games title and secure direct qualification for the Paris Olympics. The 2026 edition will once again serve as the continental qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with the men's gold medallists earning an automatic Olympic berth. The Indian women's team, which claimed bronze at Hangzhou 2023, will aim to improve on that performance and secure a return to the Olympics after missing qualification for Paris 2024. India's men have won four Asian Games hockey gold medals (1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023), while Pakistan remain the most successful nation in the competition's history with eight titles. India's women, meanwhile, were inaugural champions in 1982 and will be chasing their first Asian Games gold in 44 years. (ANI)
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