Panjab Hosts Asian Hockey Trophy; India Secures Place in Semi-Finals

November

2026

Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated the Hero Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) Panjab 2026 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar on 27 Oct. Panjab is hosting the Asian Hockey Championship for the first time ever. It is also hosting an international tournament for the first time since 2009. Mann said ACT fulfilled a long-standing wish of the state’s hockey players to compete on home ground and expressed confidence that Panjab could host the Hockey World Cup in 2030. The championship features teams from six countries—Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia, along with representatives of Hockey India and the International Hockey Federation. Eight members of the current Indian team are from Panjab. India defeated Bangladesh 13-0 in their opening match on 27 Oct. Halfway through the match, fans continued to wait outside the gates to enter. Entry to the stadium was free, and because of the terraced seating, more people watched the match than the 7K capacity. Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh’s father, Sarabjit Singh, watched him play live for the first time. He said, ‘I still remember the time when I first came here with Harman to drop him off at this academy in my Maruti (car). He was such a small kid then. Now, seeing him play an international match is a surreal feeling.’ A group of young children from Dilpreet Singh’s hometown Batala, Gurdaspur district, also came to watch their hockey idols in Jalandhar. Holding posters of their favorite players, many of these children got a glimpse of the world they aspire to enter one day. India then registered 5-2 and 4-1 wins over China and Japan, respectively, to seal their place in the semifinals on 4 Nov. On 1 Nov, captain Harmanpreet’s hat-trick and a superb strike from Sukhjeet Singh helped India win 4-2 over Malaysia. Harmanpreet was named Player of the Match. Speaking of future plans, India’s chief coach, Craig Fulton, hinted that a younger group will travel to New Zealand after the ACT, and a new training squad will be finalized ahead of the Pro League in February. But for now, the focus is clinching the ACT finals on 5 Nov (earlier coverage).