The Asian Champions Trophy Is Touring Punjab, and Jalandhar Gets It Last

The trophy gets to Jalandhar on 26 October. The tournament starts there the next morning. Somebody planned that properly.

Reports say a nine-day trophy tour for the Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026 was flagged off on Sunday 18 October at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. From there it crosses the state’s hockey heartlands, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana and Kapurthala are all on the route, before it rolls into Jalandhar the day before the opening match.

A smart bit of build-up

Trophy tours can be cheesy. This one isn’t, because Punjab isn’t a market hockey needs to invent. It’s the nursery. Sansarpur, Mithapur, generations of Olympians out of small villages, kids who grow up knowing exactly what this trophy is. Taking it through those towns isn’t marketing fluff, it’s the tournament going to meet its own people.

It also builds the one thing the ACT needs most: a crowd that feels involved before a ball is pushed back.

The hockey itself, quickly

Six teams play the league stage at Jalandhar’s Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium from 27 October to 2 November: hosts India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Bangladesh. The top four go through to the semi-finals in Mohali on 4 November, with the medal matches on 5 November.

India open against Bangladesh on 27 October and arrive as defending champions and five-time winners of this trophy, the most successful side in its history. Harmanpreet Singh has already called this a special one, the first time he leads India at an international tournament in his home state.

The trophy’s road ends in Jalandhar on the 26th. On the 27th, we find out whose hands it’s actually heading for.