The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Friday, October 24, 2025, that Pakistan has withdrawn its team from the Junior Hockey World Cup, scheduled to take place in India this November and December.
The FIH announced that a replacement team for the tournament, which runs from November 28 to December 10 in Chennai and Madurai, will be named shortly.
In a statement, the FIH confirmed, “We can confirm that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that its team initially qualified for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025 won’t participate eventually.”
The statement reiterated that the replacement team for Pakistan will be announced soon.
Pakistan was initially placed in Group B alongside hosts India, Chile, and Switzerland. The identity of the team stepping in to fill their spot is eagerly awaited.
This marks the second instance this year of Pakistan withdrawing from an event in India, following their absence from the Men’s Asia Cup held in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29 to September 7. Sporting relations between India and Pakistan have been notably strained, particularly after the April 22 Pahalgam incident and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
The Indian government recently introduced a new policy stating it would not participate in bilateral sporting contests with Pakistan, though it would continue to compete against them in multi-nation tournaments.
During the recent Asia Cup, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav notably declined to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart.
Hockey India Claims No Prior Knowledge of Withdrawal
Despite the FIH’s confirmation, Hockey India stated that it had no prior information regarding Pakistan’s withdrawal.
Bholanath Singh, secretary general of Hockey India, mentioned that he had spoken with Pakistan Hockey Federation officials about a month and a half ago, at which time they confirmed their participation. “What transpired after that, I have no knowledge. Our duty is to conduct the best tournament as hosts and hope India wins the title. It is now up to FIH to announce a replacement for Pakistan,” he said.
PHF Seeks Neutral Venue
Interestingly, while the FIH is focused on finding a replacement team, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has expressed its desire to compete in the tournament if a neutral venue can be arranged.
PHF secretary general Rana Mujahid stated on Friday, October 24, 2025, that the decision in principle was not to send the national junior team to India due to prevailing tensions between the two countries, a stance that was communicated to the FIH.
Mujahid, an Olympian, added from Lahore, “We have, at the same time, urged the FIH to arrange for a neutral venue to allow us to participate and play our matches in the Junior World Cup, as missing out on major events because they are being held in India is hurting our hockey and not helping in the development of our players.”
He further elaborated, “We have told the FIH how do they expect us to go and play in India when their athletes are not even willing to shake hands in different sports, even at neutral venues. FIH says all the events were awarded to India well before the conflict so no one anticipated such a situation.”