Lausanne: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Thursday that the Hockey team of Pakistan accepted the invitation to participate in the Pro League 2025-26 season.
The green shirts were formally invited by the Apex Body to participate in the ‘League of the Best’ after Hockey New Zealand withdrew from the Nine-Team Tournament despite winning the FIH Nations Cup earlier this year in Malaysia.
The PHF initially received a deadline of 12 August to confirm the participation of its national men’s team, but the federation was looking for an extension until August 20 because it was awaiting financial support from the government.
The Federation was then published on Wednesday RS250M for the event, so that it confirmed the participation of the men’s team the next day.
“The International Hockey Federation (FIH) can confirm that the Pakistani men’s hockey team, nicknamed the Green Shirts, has accepted the invitation to participate in the coming season 2025-26 of the FIH Hockey Pro League,” said the Apex lecture in a statement.
Pakistan will become a member of arch rivals India, alongside Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain in the next seventh edition of the tournament, to replace Ireland, which were relegated after the last season in the previous season.
The participation of the Green Shirts in the tournament meant that they would also rely against traditional rivals India, who narrowly escaped the relegation last season when they finished just above the bottom of Ireland.
Fih President Tayyab Ikram expressed his joy about the addition of Pakistan to the Pro League, which stated that it would be an important boost for the team with a rich history and the viewers of the tournament would strengthen.
“Great to see Pakistan in Elite competence-this is a truly impactful milestone for world hockey,” Ikram said in a FIH statement.
“Their return is not only the comeback of a team with such a rich and legendary history, but also an exciting boost for the visibility and reach of the FIH Hockey Pro League. I can already anticipate the improved visibility of the Pro League with the participation of Pakistan.
“Congratulations to the Pakistan Men’s team for qualifying via the Fih Hockey Nations Cup and earning their place in the ‘League of the Best’ for the first time. This performance is a strong example of how creating more opportunities at every level of our sport promotes growth and offers a natural path to the very first top.”
For the unexpected, Pakistan would participate in the inaugural edition of the FIH Pro League in 2019, but attracted their first three games against Argentina, Australia and New -Zeeland, with reference to ‘inevitable circumstances’, which led them to be suspended from the rest of the tournament.
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