Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Saturday that Pakistan had withdrawn from the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 to be hosted by Punjab, and Bangladesh will replace it.“We wanted the Pakistan team to come and had scheduled an India-Pakistan contest on Nov 1, Punjab Day. But due to some political hurdles, the Pakistan team would not be able to play here. In its place, Bangladesh will now participate,” Mann told reporters.He said stadiums in Jalandhar and Mohali were ready to host the matches.According to reports, the Pakistan Hockey Federation said its govt had not cleared the team’s travel. The federation reportedly asked the Asian Hockey Federation to either shift the tournament out of India or move Pakistan’s matches to a neutral venue, citing the “sensitive bilateral situation” with India.On Sept 14, Mann announced that Punjab would host the tournament for the first time from Oct 27 to Nov 5. Jalandhar will host the league matches, while the semi-finals and final will be held in Mohali.Mann also said Punjab would seek to host matches of the 2030 Hockey World Cup, which India is scheduled to host. He said successfully organising the Asian Champions Trophy would strengthen the state’s bid.“Our govt is preparing not just two stadiums, but a message for the sporting world. We have the infrastructure, the talent and sporting culture to host big international events,” he had said.
