Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2026 Teams: Pakistan 12th in FIH Rankings, Second Highest of 6

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) runs that table. The tournament is in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 to 28 November. Below are all six teams with their points and recent activity, what the numbers mean for Pakistan's matches, and what is still not published, including the squad.

Six teams are in the 2026 tournament

Australia, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the United States make up the 32nd Sultan Azlan Shah Cup field, the FIH lists. The FIH lists it as an approved invitational tournament, which means the host invites the teams.

That table was marked as updated on 7 November 2026, early in the morning. The numbers can change before 20 November, because Malaysia and Korea were still playing as of 5 November.

The table puts Pakistan close to Malaysia only

Pakistan lead Malaysia by about 30 points, which is a small gap, and are far ahead of Canada, Korea and the United States. Australia sit more than 1,000 points above Pakistan. So the table points to one clear favourite and one close match.

A ranking is not a forecast. FIH points move after every match, and the system gives and takes points between the two teams based on the result and each team's rank. A home side in Ipoh, with fresh match practice, is no easy game for anyone. But the table tells us what Pakistan should expect to do: beat the lower teams, and treat Australia as the hard one.

More on how Pakistan's total was built is in our page on Pakistan's FIH world hockey ranking.

The gaps are our sums from the FIH points.

Pakistan play all five rivals in seven days

Pakistan start against Canada on 20 November at 2:15 pm PKT and end the group stage against Malaysia on 26 November at 4:30 pm. Australia come on 23 November. That leaves the closest match, on paper, until last.

1. Canada, ranked 19th: Friday 20 November, 2:15 pm PKT.
2. United States, ranked 26th: Saturday 21 November, 12:00 noon PKT.
3. Australia, ranked 3rd: Monday 23 November, 2:15 pm PKT.
4. Korea, ranked 20th: Tuesday 24 November, 12:00 noon PKT.
5. Malaysia, ranked 14th: Thursday 26 November, 4:30 pm PKT.

The opening draw is kind, with the two lower-ranked North American sides first. Two wins would give Pakistan a good base before Australia. The full fixture list for all six teams is in our Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2026 schedule.

Pakistan's squad is still not on the FIH list

The FIH squad list for this event had no Pakistan players when we last read it, on 7 November. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) site did not load when we tried it in October, so we have no official names.

Any squad you see shared before an official notice should be treated with care. It may turn out to be right, but we have no way to check it. When the FIH list fills up, the names will be there on the event page.

A home tournament in Islamabad starts the same day

The Foreign Office has said Pakistan will host the SCO Hockey Tournament in Islamabad from 20 November to 2 December. That starts on the same day as the Azlan Shah Cup opener. Pakistan's senior side cannot play both at the same time.

We found no official statement on who plays where. The SCO Hockey Tournament teams were also unconfirmed when we last checked. Pakistan could send a second side to one of them, but that is our guess and not a fact from any notice.

Pakistan also do not appear among the nine men's teams the FIH listed for the 2026-27 Pro League in its release of 5 August. So a tournament like this one matters more for match practice against ranked sides.

Common questions

Which teams are playing the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2026?

Australia, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the United States.

What is Pakistan's FIH world ranking?

12th, with 2,555.60 points, on the FIH men's table read on 7 November 2026.

Who is the highest ranked team in the tournament?

Australia, ranked 3rd in the world.

When does Pakistan play its first match?

On Friday 20 November 2026, against Canada, at 2:15 pm Pakistan time.

Has Pakistan's squad been announced?

Not on the FIH squad list when we read it on 7 November.

Where is the tournament being played?

At Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 to 28 November.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the FIH outdoor world rankings and the FIH event page on 7 November 2026. The point gaps are ours. Foreign Office dates for the SCO event come from briefings recorded in our earlier report.