Pakistan to Host FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Lahore, 19 to 28 February 2027: All 10 Teams

It will be the biggest international hockey event in Pakistan in more than two decades. The last major one was the Champions Trophy in Lahore in 2004. Pakistan, ranked 12th in the world, will be the third highest ranked side in the field, after New Zealand and Ireland.

Lahore hosts the Nations Cup from 19 to 28 February 2027

The FIH has given the 2026-27 Men's Nations Cup to Lahore, with play from Friday 19 February to Sunday 28 February 2027. This is the fifth edition of the event and the first held in Pakistan. The stadium and the match schedule are still to be announced.

The FIH said the field has been expanded from eight teams to ten for the first time, with sides from five continents. FIH President Tayyab Ikram, himself from Pakistan, called it "a deeply significant moment for global hockey" and said the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and local authorities would deliver a world-class event.

For fans in Pakistan, this means ten days of international hockey at home, with the national team playing in front of its own crowd for a place in the top league.

All 10 teams in the 2027 Nations Cup

The ten teams are Pakistan, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Korea and the United States. New Zealand are the highest ranked at 9th in the world, and the United States the lowest at 26th.

The table below shows each team's place and points on the FIH men's world ranking, as listed on the FIH ranking page on 15 November 2026. Points are rounded to two decimals.

Pakistan sit only 24.14 points above South Africa and 29.57 above Malaysia, so the middle of this field is very close. Our page on Pakistan's FIH world hockey ranking explains how the points move after each match.

The winner goes up to the FIH Pro League

The Nations Cup is the route into the FIH Hockey Pro League, the top tier of international hockey. The 2027 champions will play in the Pro League in 2027-28, which means regular matches against teams such as Germany, Belgium, Australia and the Netherlands.

Pakistan know this path well. They finished runners-up at the 2024-25 Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur and then played the 2025-26 Pro League. They are not among the nine men's teams in the 2026-27 Pro League, so a home title in Lahore would put them straight back in.

Past winners show how hard the event is. South Africa won the first edition in 2022. New Zealand have won it twice and are in the field again. France, the 2025-26 champions, are now playing in the Pro League this season.

What this means for Pakistan hockey this season

The Nations Cup gives Pakistan's men a clear target for the 2026-27 season and a chance to return to the Pro League at home. The team's next matches are at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 November.

Three of the Nations Cup sides will also be at Ipoh: Malaysia, Korea and the United States. So the Azlan Shah Cup is an early look at rivals Pakistan could meet again in Lahore. The full run of matches is on our Pakistan hockey schedule for 2026-27.

The PHF said in October that Canada would play a series in Islamabad from 8 to 21 February 2027. Those dates overlap the first three days of the Nations Cup. The PHF has not yet said whether that series will move.

The Nations Cup is separate from Olympic qualification for LA28. That path, through a qualifier tournament, is set out in our page on Pakistan hockey's road to the LA28 Olympics.

What happens next before the first match

Several details still have to come from the FIH and the PHF before February. Fans who want to watch in Lahore should look out for these, in roughly this order.

1. The pools and the match schedule, with dates and start times for each of the ten teams.
2. The stadium in Lahore that will host the games.
3. Squad announcements from the PHF, usually a few weeks before the event.
4. Ticket prices and where to buy them, from the PHF.
5. TV and streaming rights in Pakistan.

We will publish each of these as soon as the FIH or the PHF announces them. Pakistan's last big result was the Asian Games bronze, when Pakistan beat Korea 5-3 on 3 October, and Korea are in the Lahore field too.

Common questions

When is the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2027 in Pakistan?

From Friday 19 February to Sunday 28 February 2027, in Lahore.

Which teams are playing in the 2027 Nations Cup?

Pakistan, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Korea and the United States.

Is India playing in the Nations Cup in Lahore?

No. India are not among the ten teams named by the FIH.

What does the Nations Cup winner get?

A place in the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2027-28 season.

When did Pakistan last host a major hockey tournament?

Lahore hosted the Champions Trophy in 2004. The 2027 Nations Cup is the first major FIH event in Pakistan since then.

Have tickets for the Nations Cup gone on sale?

Not yet. Ticket prices and sale dates have not been announced.

How we verified this

What we checked and where we read it.

Checked on 15 November 2026, about 4:45 pm PKT. The host city, dates, the ten teams, the Pro League promotion, past hosts and winners, Pakistan's 2024-25 and 2025-26 record and the FIH President's quote come from the FIH announcement of 13 November 2026, Pakistan to host the fifth edition of the FIH Hockey Men's Nations Cup. World ranks and points come from the FIH outdoor world rankings page, men's table, read the same afternoon; the gaps between teams are our own sums. The FIH announcement lists past host cities but not every winner by year, so the table shows only the winners it names. The Canada series dates come from the PHF statement of 17 October 2026 covered on our hockey schedule page.