Pakistan To Miss Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2023

Hockey World Cup 2023 starts on January 13 and will be hosted by India. The nine-day matches will be played in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The Hockey World Cup 2023 will feature 16 teams, but three-time champion Pakistan will not be among them. Except for Pakistan, all other Asian hockey-playing countries will be seen in the World Cup.

Pakistan has failed to qualify for the FIH men's world cup as they did not finish among the top four places in the Asia Cup, which was held in May 2022.

"It is really sad that Pakistan is not among the 16 teams competing in the World Cup. We couldn't have asked for a better chance to qualify for the event. It was a piece of cake, yet we missed it. As a former world champion, I feel really sad and disappointed not to see Pakistan as one of the competing teams in India," said Khawaja Junaid, a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 1994.

For the first time, the FIH Men's World Cup will be hosted by the same country twice in a row. India also hosted the 2018 edition of the Hockey World Cup.

Also Read: Hockey World Cup 2023 India Squad, Match Schedule