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LAHORE: The Pakistan national Under 18 hockey team has reached Kakamigahara, Japan, to compete in the Under 18 Asia Cup 2026, organised by the Asian Hockey Federation. The men’s tournament runs from May 29 to June 6, bringing together Asia’s leading youth sides for continental honours.
PHF officials said final preparations, including the training camp and travel logistics, were completed under the direct supervision of PHF President Muhayuddin Ahmed Wani.
The men’s competition features nine teams split into two pools. Pool B includes Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh and China. Pool matches will determine the sides advancing to classification and knockout stages, with semi finals scheduled for June 5 and the final and third place playoff on June 6.
Pakistan open their campaign against China on May 30 and will complete group play on June 3 before the knockout phase. PHF officials, including Deputy Director General PSB Shahid ul Islam, Olympians Islahuddin Siddiqui, Hassan Sardar, Samiullah Khan, and Tahir Zaman, extended best wishes to the young contingent and expressed confidence in the team’s readiness. Coaching staff emphasised tactical discipline, fitness and video based analysis during the final camp to ensure the squad is competitive against Asia’s top youth sides.
The PHF described the Asia Cup as a key development platform for Pakistan’s next generation of players and said performances in Kakamigahara will inform future age group selections and high performance planning.
Squad and Management
Head Coach: Muhammad Qamar Ibrahim
Manager: Muhammad Qamar ul Haq
Coaches: Rehan Butt; Muhammad Umar Bhutta; Yasir Islam
Video Analyst: Syed Abu Zar Umrao
Physiotherapist: Adeel Akhtar
Players: Ghulam Mustafa; Numan; Abdullah Awan; Muhammad Yahya Najeeb; Asim Haider; Muhammad Usman; Muhammad Zaman; Muhammad Asnan; Hassan Akbar; Shahidullah; Muhammad Zunair; Muhammad Farhan Aslam; Rana Abdul Samie; Uzair Ahmed Qureshi; Usman Ghani; Muzammil Saeed; Salman Yasin; Adeel.
