Pakistan Put Seniors and Juniors in One Camp as Azlan Shah Build-Up Begins in Islamabad
Pakistan’s build-up to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is under way, and the PHF have done it a little differently this time.
Around 50 players have reported to a joint national training camp in Islamabad, with seniors and juniors training side by side ahead of the 32nd edition of the tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 to 28 November. A few senior players are still to join after finishing foreign league commitments.
National coach Daniel Berry is running the camp, and the focus is exactly what you’d expect two weeks out from a tournament: physical conditioning, endurance, and the technical side of the modern game. Mornings are for physical training and endurance work, evenings for intense gym sessions. Special attention is going on short-corner execution, ball control, spatial positioning and high-tempo tactical plans.
The joint set-up is the interesting part. For the juniors, training alongside senior internationals is a fast track to understanding what top-level intensity actually looks like. For the seniors, a camp full of hungry young players chasing their spots is its own kind of pressure. The selection committee get to watch both groups in the same environment, which makes the final squad call a little more honest.
The Azlan Shah field this year is Australia, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the United States. Pakistan open against Canada on 20 November, then play the USA on 21 November. Australia, the world No. 3 side, arrive with a squad that includes eight members of their 2026 World Cup team and two debutants, and they meet Pakistan on Monday 23 November.
Malaysia are the hosts, and they arrive as the form team after winning the Sultan of Johor Cup last month. Korea and Canada round out a field with no easy games in it.
Pakistan’s last big outing was the Sultan of Johor Cup, where they reached the final and lost to Malaysia on a shootout after a 2-2 draw. That was a junior tournament. This one is the senior stage, and the camp in Islamabad is where the team for Ipoh starts to take shape.
The squad itself hasn’t been named yet. With 50 players in camp and a fortnight to go, the next announcement to watch for is the final selection.
