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Asia Cup 2025, India vs Pakistan: The 2025 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to take place at Rajgir in Bihar from August 27 to September 7.
Pakistan to travel India for Asia Cup 2025 in August. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Asia Cup 2025, India vs Pakistan: Pakistan’s men’s hockey team will not be stopped from travelling to India next month and taking part in the Asia Cup 2025. According to a sports ministry source, which was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Thursday (July 3), the Pakistan hockey team is expected to travel to India for the Asia Cup and Junior Hockey World Cup.
The 2025 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to take place in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 27 to September 7.
“We are not against any team competing in India in a multinational competition. But bilateral is different,” the source said.
“International sports demand that we cannot back out of competing. Russia and Ukraine are at war, but they show up at multinational events,” he added.
The ministry’s decision clears the decks for Pakistani participation in the junior World Cup of shooting, scheduled in New Delhi in September and the World Para-Athletics Championships, in the national capital in September-October.
The Charter is akin to the constitution of the Olympic movement and stresses on sport as a tool for promoting international peace and cooperation.
As a result, any attempt to block a rival nation from a multi-national event impacts the host nation’s prospects of getting future hosting rights.
When asked whether this means India will be allowed to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup of cricket in September, the source said, “The BCCI is yet to reach out to the ministry on this.”
Speculation is rife that India and Pakistan will play each other in a round robin game during the continental tournament, which is all set to be held in the UAE or Sri Lanka, even though the original host is India.
India and Pakistan have been avoiding bilateral sporting engagements after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, but even multi-lateral face-offs were in doubt after the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were gunned down in April.
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