Pakistan Hockey has burst into the limelight, both on and off the field.

Although not much was right over the last 15 years, the recent events and their consequences were largely unforeseen. It started immediately after Pakistan’s participation in the second leg of the Pro League in Australia. The results weren’t unexpected. Against Germany and Australia, ranked third and fifth respectively, the then 14th-ranked Pakistan lost all four matches.

The issue of non-payment of players’ dailies had become the norm. But this time, as soon as the players returned to Pakistan, they complained of poor treatment. Captain Ammad Shakeel Butt blamed the team management and the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), stating that there were no hotel bookings for them on their arrival in Australia. The players were roaming the streets for hours. Later, they were lodged in substandard accommodations, where the rooms had to be shared between four or five players.

“We had to prepare our own food, and clean rooms, utensils and toilets. In all previous tours, meals were arranged through official hotel bookings. This is the first time in history that we were told to manage our own food within the daily allowance,” the team captain said.

He simply declared that the players wouldn’t work with the team management: head coach Tahir Zaman, assistant coaches Usman Sheikh and Zeeshan Ashraf and video analyst Nadeem Lodhi. It set alarm bells ringing. Pakistan had to depart for Ismailia, Egypt, in less than a week for the all-important World Cup qualifiers.

Unable to feature in the FIH World Cup’s previous two editions, the Pakistan hockey team have finally qualified for the next one, to be played in Belgium and the Netherlands in August. It’s been a rocky road but it’s a first step…

Enough is enough

Finally, the powers that be, who should have acted much earlier, took decisive steps. On the directive of the prime minister — the ex-officio patron-in-chief of the PHF — the federation’s president Tariq Bugti and the secretary-general Rana Mujahid tendered their resignations. An adhoc setup, with the federal secretary of the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) ministry, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, as its president, was announced. In a quintessential Tariq Bugti act, the outgoing president had slapped a two-year ban on Captain Ammad Butt, his last act in office. The adhoc president lifted the ban as his first act.

The entire team management was changed. The new coach, World Cup-winner Khawaja Junaid has had numerous coaching assignments with the national senior and junior teams, without achieving anything notable. His assistant, Azfar Yaqoob, is a newcomer. The experienced Sultan Ashraf took on the duties of video analyst.

In a wonderful gesture, Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board (the only self-financed sports body in Pakistan), met the members of the hockey team. He lamented the mistreatment of the players during the Australian tour. The players received cheques of one million rupees each, which Naqvi had previously announced as a reward for their second position at the Nations Hockey Cup.

World Cup Qualifiers

The 2026 World Cup will feature 16 teams. Nine teams had already qualified: the two co-hosts, five continental champions, and the winners of the past two Pro Hockey League events. For the remaining seven berths, qualifiers were held at two venues.

The 16 teams were split into two eight-team tournaments in Ismailia, Egypt, and Santiago, Chile. The top three teams from each tournament, and the higher world-ranked team from the two that finished in fourth place in each event, were to qualify for the World Cup.

The Pakistan team arrived in Ismailia. The onus was on the players as their somewhat bold demand had been met. Few know that the FIH rankings of national teams change throughout: a team gains or loses ranking points in every international match.

In the opener, Pakistan (then ranked 14th) faced China (23rd). The Chinese have not been pushovers when facing the teams ranked outside the top 10, and they showed. It turned out to be a real humdinger of a game, with goals galore. With 10 minutes to go, Pakistan led 5-4. Then they had a real scare. Rana Waleed was shown the yellow card. Hence, Pakistan played five minutes of the last 10 with 10 players. The Green Shirts displayed resolute defence and denied China an equaliser.

Pakistan’s second match was against the only side in the pool ranked above them. Pakistan (14) came across Malaysia (12). When the third quarter ended, it was 3-3. Thrice, Malaysia took the lead. Thrice, Pakistan equalised. In the last quarter, Pakistan went ahead for the first time and didn’t look back, adding another to emerge victorious 5-3.

In the last pool match against the minnows Austria, Pakistan won 4-2 . The scoreline doesn’t truly reflect Pakistan’s domination. The all-important semi-final against Japan, ranked three places below, was another edge-of-the-seat contest. When the third quarter ended, Japan were 3-1 ahead. In another remarkable rescue act, Pakistan found the target no less than three times in a five-minute spree, to go 4-3 ahead. But the drama was prolonged. A penalty stroke was awarded to Japan with less than four minutes left. The goal custodian Ali Raza made a brilliant save with his outstretched right leg.

With World Cup qualification secured, Pakistan and England (ranked 4th) contested the final. The 4-1 scoreline in favour of the European powerhouse was no surprise. England’s overall superiority was never in doubt, but Pakistan weren’t outplayed. Two soft goals were conceded, one off a penalty corner. Pakistan couldn’t avail any of their four penalty corners, while England converted two of their three.

The squad was given a warm welcome on their return home. The prime minister announced a cash prize of Rs1.5 million for each player. Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the federal interior minister, promised jobs for the unemployed members of the team.

The players did a commendable job, considering all the chaos. They displayed remarkable fighting spirit throughout. That said, the achievement should not be blown out of proportion. Pakistan, the record four-time winners of the World Cup, failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014 for the first time. The FIH increased the number of teams from 12 to 16 in 2018. Pakistan qualified and finished 12th.

For the 2023 World Cup, Pakistan had to finish among the top four at the 2022 Asia Cup. Needing just one point in the last pool match against Japan, Pakistan lost 2-3 in a truly bizarre fashion. Pakistan mistakenly fielded 12 players instead of 11, which led to a disallowed goal, and subsequently knocked them out of contention for the 2023 World Cup. Given the overall quality of the opposition in Ismailia, Pakistan’s qualification was expected, failure was not.

What next?

Before the World Cup in August, the third and fourth legs of the Pro League are to be held in Belgium and England, respectively, in June. Preparations must be done in full earnest. The two most vital aspects are goalkeeping and penalty corner conversion. The services of internationally acclaimed specialist coaches are required. Likewise, the head coach must be a foreigner with sound credentials. Test matches against some European countries not in the Pro League, such as Ireland and France, would also provide good experience.

In the first two legs of the Pro League, Pakistan lost all eight matches. The margin was minimal in two. In all the previous six editions of the Pro League, no team ended without gaining at least one point. Pakistan’s first target must be to avoid getting this dubious distinction. At the World Cup, no one expects the Green Shirts to be on or near the podium. With proper groundwork, the now 12th-ranked Pakistan could aim for seven to nine.

The World Cup qualification is a small step, and there is a long way to go.

The writer is a freelance sports journalist based in Lahore. X: @IjazChaudhry1 Email: ijaz62@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 19th, 2026