Pakistan Hockey Accepts a Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2026 Invitation and Will Host Canada in Islamabad in February 2027, PHF Says
The PHF is reported to have accepted a Sultan Azlan Shah Cup invitation for November 2026 and to host Canada in Islamabad in February 2027. What is confirmed.
Pakistan's men's hockey team has accepted an invitation to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia in November 2026, and Canada will visit Islamabad for a bilateral series from 8 to 21 February 2027, according to statements attributed to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on 17 October 2026. Both are reported, not yet confirmed on a PHF or organiser page, and we explain why below.
We tried to open the PHF website and the Malaysian Hockey Confederation site on 19 October 2026 and neither loaded. The tournament's own site had no 2026 page. So this is a report of what PHF president Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani was quoted as saying, set against the dates we can confirm from official pages. Treat every date as reported until the PHF or the organisers publish it.
Pakistan were left out of the 2025 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and are reported back in for 2026
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an invitational men's tournament played in Ipoh, Malaysia, most years since 1983. Pakistan reached the 2024 final, which they lost to Japan in a shootout. In 2025 the PHF said it had received no invitation, and the tournament went ahead without Pakistan. The reported acceptance of an invitation for November 2026 would end that one-year absence.
What has not been published anywhere we can read: the exact dates, the other teams, and whether the venue is Ipoh again. The PHF president was quoted as saying the event would give the national players valuable international experience. Nothing in that statement gives a date, and the organisers have not listed a 2026 field on a page we could open.
| Item | Status on 19 October 2026 | Where it should appear |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, November 2026 | Reported, PHF statement of 17 October | PHF and the tournament organisers |
| Exact dates and host city | Not published | Tournament organisers |
| Canada tour of Pakistan, 8 to 21 February 2027 | Reported, PHF statement of 17 October | PHF and Field Hockey Canada |
| Number of matches against Canada | Not published | PHF |
| Guangdong tour of Pakistan, to 30 October 2026 | Confirmed earlier by PHF | Already on our pages |
Canada's visit would be the first bilateral series in Islamabad in years
The PHF was quoted as saying Canada's team will be hosted in Islamabad from 8 to 21 February 2027, and that the federation will work with the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination and other authorities on accommodation, transport, facilities and security. The president called it an important step toward reviving international hockey in Pakistan.
Canada and Pakistan are on the same pitch this week, at under-21 level, where Pakistan beat Canada 6-2 at the Sultan of Johor Cup on 18 October, as we report in the page on Pakistan's under-21 wins in Johor. A senior series in February would follow China's Guangdong regional side, which is in Pakistan until 30 October on the tour set out in the page on the Guangdong hockey tour.
November already has an Islamabad tournament on the calendar
The dates matter because Pakistan is due to host an SCO hockey tournament in Islamabad from 20 November to 2 December 2026, with the teams not yet named, as we set out in the page on the SCO hockey tournament in Islamabad. If the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is late in November, as it was in 2025, the two would overlap.
Pakistan were also left out of the Asian Champions Trophy this year, with Bangladesh taking the place, as reported in the page on the Asian Champions Trophy without Pakistan. So between now and February the senior side's confirmed international matches are the Guangdong games, with everything else reported or unconfirmed.
- To 30 October 2026: Guangdong tour of Pakistan, confirmed.
- November 2026: Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, reported.
- 20 November to 2 December 2026: SCO tournament in Islamabad, teams unconfirmed.
- 8 to 21 February 2027: Canada series in Islamabad, reported.
The PHF also described a development plan for four national teams
The same statement was reported to describe a development plan for the under-18, under-21, senior men's and women's teams, covering coaching, training facilities, international exposure and better financial incentives for players. No budget, no dates and no document were published with it.
For context, the Pakistan Sports Board gave hockey Rs 205.7 million of the Rs 283.4 million it paid to federations in 2025-26, as we found in the page on PSB grants to sports federations. The men's team is 12th in the FIH world rankings on 2,555.60 points, per the page on Pakistan's FIH ranking, and the ranking page at fih.hockey updates after each sanctioned match.
What to watch for before treating any of this as fixed
Three things would turn the reports into facts. First, a fixture list from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup organisers naming Pakistan with dates. Second, a PHF or Field Hockey Canada release with the number of matches in February and the venue in Islamabad. Third, the SCO tournament's teams and dates, which would show whether November's calendar clashes.
The FIH lists sanctioned events on its global calendar, and a tournament of this kind appears there once the organisers register it. We will update this page when any of the three appears.
Common questions
Is Pakistan playing the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2026?
Reported, yes. The PHF was quoted on 17 October 2026 as accepting an invitation for November 2026 in Malaysia. We could not read it on a PHF or organiser page, so it is not confirmed.
When is the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2026?
November 2026, according to the reported PHF statement. No exact dates or venue have been published on a page we could open. The 2025 edition was reported as 22 to 29 November in Ipoh.
When does Canada's hockey team visit Pakistan?
From 8 to 21 February 2027 in Islamabad, according to the reported PHF statement. The number of matches has not been published.
Did Pakistan play the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2025?
No. The PHF said it had not received an invitation, and the tournament went ahead without Pakistan.
Does the November tournament clash with the SCO event in Islamabad?
It could. The SCO hockey tournament is due in Islamabad from 20 November to 2 December 2026. Without the Azlan Shah dates, nobody can say yet.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read a press report of 17 October 2026 quoting PHF president Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani on the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup invitation, the Canada series and the development plan. On 19 October 2026 we tried the PHF website, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation website and the tournament's own site, and none carried a 2026 page we could read, so every date from that report is marked reported. The 2024 final and the 2025 exclusion come from earlier reports, also unconfirmed on an official page. Confirmed items come from our own earlier pages on the Guangdong tour, the SCO tournament, PSB grants and the FIH ranking.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
