The 11th edition of the Asia Cup Men’s Asian Hockey tournament is just around the corner and an important event for the participating teams as it will also decide their future in the upcoming Hockey world cup. Let’s take a look at the history and Stats of the tournament along with the favorites for winning the title.
History of the Tournament:
The Men’s Asian Hockey Championship has been held since 1982 by Asian Hockey Federation. It’s been 30 years since the tournament started. It hosts the top 6 teams in Asia during the ongoing season. It was first an annual event but then became a biennial.
Most Successful teams:
South Korea with 4 title wins is the most successful team in the competition.
India and Pakistan are the second joint-most successful teams in the continental tournament. These two arch-rivals were declared as the joint winners of the 2018 edition, held in Muscat.
Defending champion:
The current defenders of their title are South Korea. The team triumphed over Japan in the Final on penalty shootouts, by 4:2. Koreans will be willing to uphold their title this year too. *
Editions and Winners of Asian Hockey Championship:
2011: Held in China, India were the Champions of the Inaugural Season of the Asia Hockey Cup. They defeated Pakistan in the finals.
2012: Pakistan was the Champion of the competition held in Doha, Qatar. They held their nerves against the arch-rivals India to succeed. The score was 5:4, which shows how intense the game was, between these two sides.
2013: Team Pakistan was able to defend their title against Japan. They were dominant against the Japanese contingent and became the first team to win the event twice and consecutively.
2016: This time it was again, India vs Pakistan, in the finals of the Asia Cup Hockey. But Indians were far too good for team Pakistan and won their second title of the event.
2018: A unique competition where Pakistan and India were declared the joint winners of the tournament due to persistent rains. Malaysia took the third position, by defeating Japan
2021: The most recent event saw South Koreans going up a mile and winning the Cup against Japan in the Finals of the Asian Championship. It was their first-ever event title.
Latest Edition:
The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup Hockey will be played from May, 23rd. The competition is likely to be played in Jakarta, Indonesia. The schedule has been announced, with the first match to be played between foes India and Pakistan.
| Pool A | Pool B |
| India 🇮🇳 | Bangladesh 🇧🇩 |
| Pakistan 🇵🇰 | Malaysia 🇲🇾 |
| Japan 🇯🇵 | Oman 🇴🇲 |
| Indonesia 🇮🇩 | South Korea 🇰🇷 |
Conclusion: It will be an important tournament for all the teams as it will decide their fate for FIH Hockey Worldcup participation. The top 3 teams will be directly playing in the World Cup happening next year in India. Best of luck to all the teams.
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