Official: Bangladesh is the replacement for Pakistan, who will not be attending the Hockey Asia Cup in India owing to security concerns.

After months of speculation, the continental authority declared on Tuesday that Pakistan would not be attending the Hockey Asia Cup in Bihar. Bangladesh have been named as Pakistan’s replacement for the tournament, which will be held from August 29 to September 7 in Rajgir.

Originally included in the eight-team competition, Oman also withdrew, and Kazakhstan replaced them. The Asia Cup winner will advance directly to the 2026 World Cup, which Belgium and the Netherlands will co-host.

The hosts India, China, Japan, and Kazakhstan are all in Pool A. On August 29, the Harmanpreet Singh-led team will play China. On August 31, they will play Japan, and on September 1, they will play Kazakhstan. Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and South Korea, the reigning champions, are in Pool B.

The top two teams from each group will compete in the Super 4s, the second stage of the championship, which starts on September 3 and ends on September 7.

Based on their results in the Asia Cup qualifying tournament, the AHF Cup, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh were selected as replacements. After falling to eventual champions Oman 5–4 in the semifinals in Jakarta on April 25, Bangladesh placed third in the competition. Oman and Chinese Taipei, the two finalists, have already secured direct entries to the main championships. However, fourth-place Kazakhstan was given a spot after Oman also withdrew.

Since the Pahalgam terror assault, Pakistan’s ability to qualify for the World Cup has been in question. Following the assault, which killed 26 people, the Indian government cancelled Pakistani citizens’ visas. However, the government later underlined that the hockey team won’t be stopped from travelling to India to ensure the Olympic charter wasn’t violated.

However, after receiving assurances from their Indian counterparts, the Pakistan Hockey Federation told the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) that it would be “difficult” for them to send a team to India for the Asia Cup due to “security concerns.”

According to sources, the federations were told shortly after by Pakistan’s sports authority not to “commit to participate in any sporting event in India.” Last month, the Pakistan Sports Board issued the directive, citing a “security situation.”

According to Dawn, the circular stated, “Given the current security, no national federation shall make any commitment or agreement regarding participation in sports events in India without prior permission from PSB.”

There are also concerns about Pakistan’s participation in the Junior World Cup, which will take place in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10, given their departure from the Asia Cup.