Kolkata: The Indian men’s hockey team will be facing off against Pakistan in the upcoming edition of FIH Pro League in England from June 23-28 in 2026, according to an FIH release.It will be the first time that the two teams will lock horns since the Asian Champions Trophy clash in Hulunbuir, China, in 2024 which India won 2-1 thanks to captain Harmanpreet Singh’s brace.The two teams were also scheduled to take on each other in the just-completed Asia Cup held in Rajgir but despite the assurance of visas from the Indian government, Pakistan withdrew from the tournament citing security reasons.While India have been a regular at Pro League and finished a lowly eighth in the last edition, this will be Pakistan’s maiden campaign. They got the invitation to compete after New Zealand pulled out of the event citing financial crunch.And the reason Pakistan got the invitation was because their runner’s-up finish in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Malaysia earlier this year where they went down to New Zealand in the final.As far as India are concerned, they will open their campaign at home against Argentina and Belgium in a mini tournament that will be held from Feb 10-15 next year. They will next travel to Australia to play against the home side and Spain from Feb 20-25.Craig Fulton’s men will then get a break before their campaign in the Netherlands from June 13-21. There they will take on the two European giants – the Netherlands and Germany. India will finally finish off their season in England playing against the hosts and Pakistan.Besides the Pakistan men’s team, the tournament will also see the maiden participation of the Ireland women’s team, and they will play their opening game at home in the first phase itself from Dec 9-14 this year. Overall, the tournament will be held across 10 countries and see as many as 144 matches.Host nations: Ireland (Dec 9-14, 2025), Argentina (Dec 9-14), China (Feb 5-10, 2026), Spain (Feb 5-10), Australia (Feb 10-15), India (Feb 10-15), Australia (Feb 20-25), England (June 13-21), the Netherlands (June 13-21), Belgium (June 13-21), Belgium (June 23-28), Germany (June 23-28), England (June 23-28).
