India to open Asian Champions Trophy title defence against Bangladesh on October 27

Asian Games champions India will open their campaign against minnows Bangladesh at the Asian Campions Trophy Hockey in Jalandhar on October 27.

The tournament will be held from October 27 to November 5 across two venues in Punjab -– the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar and the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.

Jalandhar will host all league-stage matches from October 27 to November 2, before the action shifts to Mohali for the business end of the tournament.

The semi-finals and medal matches will be played at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, with the semis scheduled for November 4 and the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches for November 5.

The tournament will feature six of Asia's leading hockey nations -- title holders and reigning Asian Games champions India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Bangladesh.

Fresh from successfully defending their Asian Games gold medal in Japan, five-time ACT winners India will enter the tournament as the top-ranked team and will look to continue their strong record in the competition.

The opening ceremony will take place on October 27, shortly before India play Bangladesh in their campaign opener.

The six teams will compete in a single round-robin league phase, with each team playing five matches. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the semifinals.

After Bangladesh, India will take on China on October 29, Japan on October 30, Malaysia on November 1 and South Korea on November 2.

All five of India's league matches are scheduled to start at 1900 hrs IST.

The tournament will have three rest days on October 28, October 31 and November 3.

India are the most successful side in the history of the Asian Champions Trophy, having won the title in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winners with Pakistan), 2023 and 2024. The hosts will now aim to add another chapter to their impressive record when they take on Asia's best in front of a passionate home crowd in Punjab.

"The announcement of the match schedule adds to the excitement for the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026. We are delighted to welcome the teams from across Asia to Punjab and look forward to witnessing some high-quality hockey," said Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.

HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh added: "With the schedule now announced, the countdown to the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 has truly begun."

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