AMN / SPORTS DESK
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has informed the International Hockey Federation that its team will not participate in the Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 to be held in Tamil Nadu.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) will announce a replacement team for Pakistan scheduled to be held in Tamil Nadu from November 28.
According to the information, “The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has informed the International Hockey Federation that its team will not participate in the Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 to be held in Tamil Nadu. The replacement team for Pakistan will be announced soon.”
Pakistan’s withdrawal, barely a month before the tournament, has put the FIH in a difficult situation, as the Federation had already delayed the draw for the event—set to take place in Chennai and Madurai—by almost a month. This delay allowed the PHF time to consult with its government regarding participation. The FIH held the draw ceremony, usually conducted in the host city/country, at its headquarters in Lausanne.
The late selection of a replacement team may mean including a lower-ranked squad that is not fully prepared for the biggest event in the junior category. Reports suggest that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) made the decision to withdraw its team after consultation with its government. This information has been relayed to the FIH, which will, in turn, inform Hockey India.
Pakistan was placed in Group B alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland. The replacement team will join Group B and will be chosen from the standby teams based on their rankings. Pakistan had previously also withdrawn its name from the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey played in Rajgir.
Bilateral relations between India and Pakistan have been severely strained since the Indian Army launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ to destroy terrorist hideouts in Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, an operation that inflicted heavy losses on the Pakistani Army.