India and Pakistan will play each other on neutral ground in England next year in the hockey Pro League, according to the schedule released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Monday.
The new Pro League season will begin in December this year but India won’t be in action until February 2026 when it will host Belgium and Argentina from 10 to 15. The team will then travel to Australia from February 20 to 25, where they will play the hosts and Spain. All matches will be two-leg affairs.
India’s European leg of the league will begin in June, when they will tour the Netherlands — the co-hosts of next year’s World Cup — from 13 to 21. During the week-long, Craig Fulton’s side will take on the Olympic champions the Netherlands and and world champions Germany. From there, the team will proceed to England where they will face the hosts and arch-rivals Pakistan from June 23 to 28. The matches against Pakistan are expected to be India’s season finale.
India and Pakistan were scheduled to face each other at the recently-concluded Asia Cup in Bihar. However, Pakistan pulled out of the competition citing ‘security reasons’.
India finished eighth out of nine teams in the last edition of the Pro League following a disastrous European leg, where they lost seven out of eight games. In a World Cup year, the competition is likely to be used by Fulton to try new players and test new combinations. The World will be held in the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14 to 30.
Pakistan, who haven’t yet qualified for the World Cup, were invited to compete in the top-tier of world hockey after New Zealand, who won the FIH Nations Cup — a qualifying tournament — decided to withdraw from the competition. The Black Sticks had defeated Pakistan 6-2 in the final to be eligible for a spot but chose not to go ahead.
Subsequently, their spot was offered to Pakistan, who accepted it after receiving financial guarantees to participate in the tournament from their government.
