The Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025 in India has seen two late withdrawals — Pakistan and Oman. While Pakistan cited political reasons following strained ties with India, Oman has categorically denied any such link, insisting their decision was purely financial.
We should not say this because Oman is a very neutral country and never does such things. We absolutely deny this. There is no point in even thinking about it.
Financial constraints forced Oman’s exit
Oman, who had qualified for the Asia Cup by reaching the final of the AHF Cup in April, confirmed their withdrawal just 10 days before the tournament. According to Munir, the OHA had sought government support to fund participation but the approval never came through.
Unfortunately, this withdrawal happened because of financial constraints. We had requested our Ministry of Sports to support us, but we didn’t get it from them. So, we had no other option left than to withdraw from the tournament.
He added that the delay in announcing the decision was due to hopes that funding would eventually be cleared. “The reason it took us long to make this decision was that we hoped for the approval (for funds) to come through from the ministry, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”
Refuting speculation of political solidarity
Reports suggested that Oman’s decision may have been influenced by Pakistan’s pull-out, but OHA strongly dismissed those claims.
Oman has very close and friendly relations with India. In fact, we had requested for a camp in India and we got support from Hockey India.
Despite Hockey India’s disappointment with Oman’s late exit, OHA maintained that the decision was unavoidable.
Bangladesh and Kazakhstan step in
With Pakistan and Oman out, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan—the third and fourth-placed teams from the AHF Cup—have been drafted in as replacements. Bangladesh will use the opportunity to field a junior-heavy squad ahead of the Junior World Cup later this year.
The Asia Cup, scheduled from August 29 to September 7 in Rajgir, Bihar, will now feature eight teams: India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei.
The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) on Tuesday released the schedule:
• Group A: India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan
• Group B: Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei
The tournament will open with Malaysia vs Bangladesh on August 29, while hosts India take on China later the same day. The top two from each group advance to the Super 4s, with the final set for September 7.
