PHF announces Pakistan squad for FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Wednesday announced a 20-member squad and team management for the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, and Belgium from August 15 to 30.

Having qualified for the tournament, Pakistan will compete on the international stage with a squad comprising experienced players and emerging talent.

The selected players are Waqar, Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Sufyan Khan, Moeen Shakeel, Abdul Waheed Ashraf Rana, Abdul Hanan Shahid, Zakaria Hayat, Arshad Liaqat, Adeel Latif, Ahmad Nadeem, Ghazanfar Ali, Imad Shakeel Butt, Muhammad Hamaduddin Anjum, Rehman Abdul, Afraz, Umar Mustafa, Abu Bakar Mahmood, Ali Raza, Abdul Matan and Muhammad Imad.

Waqar and Ali Raza have been named as the team's goalkeepers.

The team management includes Team Manager Muhammad Owais Qarni, Head Coach Bob Johan Veldhof of the Netherlands, Assistant Coaches Christopher John Bowen of Great Britain and Adnan Zakir, and Video Technician Ashraf Sultan.

The announcement follows the PHF's decision last week to appoint Abu Bakar as captain of the national side, replacing Ammad Butt, who led Pakistan for 14 years. The federation said Butt will remain part of the squad as a senior player during the World Cup campaign