Azlan Shah Cup 2026 Field Settled: Korea and Pakistan Are In, Scotland and South Africa Miss Out

The argument is over. For weeks, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup entry list depended on who you asked — published previews had one field, Pakistan’s federation kept insisting on another. The final list is now confirmed, and two teams who were being named in it are not going to Ipoh.

The six teams for the 32nd Sultan Azlan Shah Cup are Australia, Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the United States. Scotland and South Africa, both included in the field in reports published only days ago, miss out.

How we got here

This one has been messy. Recent previews of the tournament were still listing a six-team field of Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Scotland, South Africa and the USA, with India — beaten finalists last year — sitting this edition out.

At the same time, the Pakistan Hockey Federation kept saying Pakistan had accepted an invitation to play in Ipoh. The problem was that Pakistan’s name kept missing from every field list coming out of Malaysia, so nobody could say it for certain. The final list settles it: the PHF claim was right. Pakistan are in, and Korea take the other remaining spot.

The six teams, and the dates

The tournament runs 21–28 November 2026 in Ipoh, Perak — the 32nd edition of the cup.

• Australia — back after missing the 2025 edition, and still the most successful side in the cup’s history with ten titles.
• Canada — a second Malaysian trip in a month for a programme currently testing itself at the Sultan of Johor Cup.
• Korea — confirmed in the final list after weeks of confusion about whether they would be there at all.
• Malaysia — the hosts, who will want a proper run at their own cup.
• Pakistan — invitation accepted, and a place in the final six confirmed with it.
• United States — the first Azlan Shah appearance in their history. USA Field Hockey named an 18-man squad for the trip last week, so the Americans have been planning for Ipoh while everyone else argued about the list.

Squad announcements for the rest will follow in the coming days.

Why this field is a good watch

Three Asian sides — Malaysia, Pakistan and Korea — plus the ten-time champions, a Canadian team on the rise and American debutants is a proper mix for a round-robin week. For Pakistan’s seniors it is also a serious test straight after the Asian Champions Trophy, against exactly the kind of opposition they need more of.

SportsCursor will cover the whole tournament from Ipoh. Until then, the Live Centre is where our live hockey sits day to day, the Rankings page shows where these six stand in the world, and Pakistan’s immediate business is Friday’s Johor Cup decider — Japan must win, a draw sends Pakistan through.