Bhubaneswar: Odisha is hosting the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 for the second consecutive time. The championship kicked off on Friday but the Pakistan hockey team is not playing in this tournament. While many are of the view that Pakistan is not participating in the Hockey World Cup owing to the disputes between the two warring neighbours, the real reason is different. Actually, the Pakistani team could not qualify for the Hockey World Cup this time.
According to the rules of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), only the top four teams of Asia can play the in Hockey World Cup. But Pakistan was not included in the top four. In the Hockey Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan played a 1-1 draw against India. After this, Japan defeated Pakistan 3-2 in the second match. As a result, Pakistan’s team bagged third place in the group and could not even reach the semi-finals. On the other hand, India, Japan, Korea and Malaysia qualified for the Hockey World Cup 2023.
Pakistan has been among the best teams in the world in terms of hockey. It is the only team in the world to win the Hockey World Cup title four times. The country won the title in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994, but did not get a single title after this. The Pakistani team could not even reach the semi-finals after 1994. Therefore, the Pakistan hockey team, once among the best in the world, is no longer a part of the World Cup 2023.
