ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will begin their campaign in the Under-18 Asia Cup Hockey 2026 against Chi­na on May 30, according to the tournament schedule announced by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) on Thursday.

The event will be held from May 29 to June 6 in Kakamigahara, Japan, featuring top emerging teams from across Asia competing for the title.

In the men’s competition, nine teams have been divided into two pools. Pakistan are placed in pool ‘B’ alongside Malaysia, Bangladesh and China, while pool ‘A’ consists of India, Korea, Japan, Chin­ese Taipei and Kazakhstan.

After their opening match, Pakistan face Malaysia on May 31, before taking on Bangladesh in their final group fixture on June 3.

As per the schedule, group-stage matches will continue until June 1, with the tournament progressing to the knockout phase thereafter. The semi-finals and classification matches will be played on June 5, while the final and third-place match are set for June 6.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2026