The Hockey Nations Cup in Lahore will be Pakistan’s first major FIH event in 24 years. Ten teams and ten days give the city a new test as a sports host.

Pakistan has won the right to host the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Lahore from 19 to 28 February 2027, its first major international hockey event in 24 years, Dawn reported. The Hockey Nations Cup in Lahore will also be the first edition with 10 teams instead of eight. For a city that has just lost a Test match to smog, it is a chance to bring international sport, visiting teams and spending back in a new season.

The short version

• The fifth Nations Cup will be played in Lahore on 19-28 February 2027, with 10 teams from five continents.
• The FIH and the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) signed the hosting agreement in Islamabad on Friday, 13 November.
• The winner earns a place in the 2027-28 FIH Hockey Pro League, the sport’s top tier, which gives the event real stakes for Pakistan.
• For business, the event means hotel nights, venue and broadcast work, and a sponsorship window for a sport that has struggled for money.

What happened

FIH President Tayyab Ikram and interim PHF President Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani announced the decision at a ceremony in Islamabad and signed the agreement, according to Dawn. Federal ministers Rana Sanaullah Khan and Attaullah Tarar attended. The field will be hosts Pakistan, Egypt, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea and the United States. France, the 2025-26 champions, have been promoted to the Pro League and will not take part.

The Nations Cup began in 2022, with earlier editions held in South Africa, Poland and Malaysia. Pakistan were runners-up in the 2024-25 edition. Ikram also announced that Lahore’s Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium has been approved as an official FIH High Performance Centre, and he recommended an independent sports ministry and better financing for sport, especially hockey. Wani said Pakistan “will be wonderful hosts” and called the award a strong sign of international confidence.

Lahore gets a bigger Nations Cup: the field grows by a quarter

Number of teams in the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup

Earlier editions (2022 to 2025-26)

8 teams

Lahore, 19-28 February 2027

10 teams (+25%)

Why it matters

Pakistan has not hosted a major FIH event for 24 years, so sponsors and broadcasters have had little top-level home hockey to buy. A 10-team, 10-day event brings visiting squads, officials and media to Lahore, and gives brands a home tournament with a Pro League place at stake. Rana Sanaullah said the government would support the revival of the game and that the PHF’s interim arrangements would be resolved. How much public money that support involves has not been announced, and with the fiscal surplus shrinking, any spending will be closely watched.

The knock-on effects

First order: the Hockey Nations Cup brings visitors to Lahore

Nine visiting teams, plus officials, umpires and media crews, will need hotels, transport, security and catering for around two weeks. Lahore’s hotels and event suppliers stand to gain, as they did when the city hosted international cricket.

Second order: a sponsorship and broadcast window

A home tournament gives the PHF something to sell to sponsors and broadcasters. A strong showing, and a Pro League place, would make Pakistan hockey a more regular property for advertisers, much as the PSL did for domestic cricket.

Third order: a test for Pakistan as a host

A smoothly run event would strengthen Pakistan’s case for more FIH tournaments and other sports. Problems with security, logistics or the PHF’s governance would set that case back.

Who could benefit

• Lahore hotels and caterers, from team and media bookings in February.
• Broadcasters and sponsors, with a rare home hockey tournament to sell.
• Sports goods makers, from renewed attention on the game at home.

Who may face pressure

• The PHF, which must run a 10-team event while its leadership is still interim.
• Federal and Punjab budgets, if security and venue costs fall on the state.

What to watch

• The fixture list, ticketing and broadcast deal for the Lahore event.
• Any settlement of the PHF’s interim arrangements, as Rana Sanaullah promised.
• 19-28 February 2027: the tournament itself, and whether Pakistan win the Pro League place.

Sources

• Dawn, Pakistan set to host FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Lahore next year, 13 November 2026

This is analysis, not investment advice. Figures are as of 14 November 2026.