The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has appointed Manzoor Ul-Hassan as the head coach of the national men’s team, ahead of their participation in the upcoming Hockey World Cup scheduled from August 15 to 30.
Manzoor, an Olympian and member of Pakistan’s bronze medal-winning squad at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, replaces former national player Khawaja Junaid. Junaid had led the team’s coaching panel during the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026.
In addition, the PHF has confirmed that Samiullah Khan will head a full-time selection committee. The committee also includes Naeem Akhtar, Kashif Jawad, Mohammad Khalid, Nasir Ali, and Atif Bashir.
Meanwhile, Ayaz Mahmood has been appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan junior team, while Qamar Ibrahim will take charge of the national Under-18 side.
The PHF stated that the newly appointed head coaches will also be part of the selection process to ensure better coordination in squad formation.
These appointments come just a month after Pakistan qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup for the first time since 2018.
The team secured qualification with a narrow 4-3 victory over Japan in the semi-final of the qualifiers, held at the Suez Canal Authority Hockey Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.
Pakistan began their campaign with a close 5-4 win over China, with Rana Waheed scoring twice. They followed this with a 5-3 victory over Malaysia and concluded the group stage with a 4-2 win against Austria, where Abu Mahmood scored a brace.
In the final of the qualifying event, Pakistan faced England but suffered a 4-1 defeat
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