Manzoor Ul-Hassan Appointed Head Coach as Pakistan Hockey Prepares for World Cup Return

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has named former Olympian Manzoor Ul-Hassan as head coach of the national men’s side ahead of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, scheduled from August 15 to 30. His appointment comes as Pakistan prepares for their first appearance at the global event since 2018.

Manzoor, a member of Pakistan’s bronze medal-winning squad at the 1976 Olympics, takes over from Khawaja Junaid, who oversaw the team during the recent qualifying campaign. The PHF said the coaching change is part of its preparations for the upcoming tournament.

Selection Panel and Junior Appointments

Alongside the coaching change, the PHF confirmed that Samiullah Khan will head a full-time selection committee. The panel also includes Naeem Akhtar, Kashif Jawad, Mohammad Khalid, Nasir Ali and Atif Bashir. Head coaches across levels will be involved in the selection process to maintain coordination in squad decisions.

In other appointments, Ayaz Mahmood has been named head coach of the junior team, while Qamar Ibrahim will oversee the Under-18 side.

Qualification Run Sets up World Cup Return

Pakistan secured their place in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after progressing through the qualifiers held in Ismailia, Egypt. They sealed qualification with a narrow semi-final win over Japan.

The team opened the campaign with a win over China, followed by another victory against Malaysia. They completed the group stage unbeaten with a result against Austria before falling short against England in the final of the qualifying event.

The PHF will now look to build on that momentum as Pakistan return to the World Cup stage after a gap of eight years.