Sultan of Johor Cup 2026: Full Tournament Guide — Teams, Pakistan’s Schedule and Players to Watch

One bad game can wreck your whole week in Johor.

The Johor Cup is a five-team group with no semi-finals, so there’s nowhere to hide: group results decide who reaches finals day, and who goes home early. Pakistan’s under-21s know the deal. They play China first, on Saturday, at the start of a season that’s building towards the 2027 Junior World Cup. The tournament runs from Saturday 17 to Saturday 24 October in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and it’s where plenty of future senior internationals get spotted first. Here’s every team, Pakistan’s full schedule and the names worth remembering.

The five teams, quickly

Malaysia. The hosts, and home turf in Johor Bahru is a real edge. Malaysia take this tournament seriously, and their junior programme feeds one of Asia’s most established senior sides. A strong week at home puts down a marker for the seasons ahead.

Pakistan. The 18-man squad is led by captain Muhammad Ammad, and the whole programme has a bounce in its step right now. Two weeks ago, on 3 October, the seniors won bronze at the Asian Games, beating South Korea 5–3 for the country’s first Asian Games hockey medal since 2014. Now it’s the juniors’ turn. Their Junior World Cup place for 2027 is already secured, so every match here is part of the build-up. Don’t mistake build-up for low stakes, though. These lads want a statement.

Canada. Structured, disciplined, and awkward to play against, especially in a short group format. Canada open against Japan on Saturday 17 October, face China on Tuesday 20 October and meet hosts Malaysia on Friday 23 October, either side of Sunday’s clash with Pakistan. Kick-off times for Canada’s other fixtures haven’t been published.

Japan. Rising fast. Japan’s junior programme keeps producing technically sharp players who press hard and move the ball quickly, and in a five-team group where one slip can change the standings, nobody can afford to take them lightly.

China. Also on the rise, and their senior team’s progress in recent years shows which way they’re heading. China are Pakistan’s first opponents on Saturday. That one game will tell us plenty about both teams.

No semi-finals, no hiding

The format is simple, and a bit brutal. The five teams play through a group stage across the week, and the group decides who reaches finals day. There’s no semi-final to sneak through. The week closes on Saturday 24 October with the 3rd-place match at 2:05 pm PKT, followed by the final at 5:05 pm PKT, when the 2026 Johor Cup champions are crowned.

Pakistan’s full schedule

All times PKT:

• Saturday 17 October, 2:05 pm: Pakistan vs China
• Sunday 18 October, 2:05 pm: Pakistan vs Canada
• Wednesday 21 October, 4:35 pm: Pakistan vs Malaysia
• Friday 23 October, 2:05 pm: Pakistan vs Japan
• Saturday 24 October, 2:05 pm: 3rd-place match
• Saturday 24 October, 5:05 pm: Final

Names to remember

Muhammad Ammad. The captain anchors Pakistan’s midfield and sets the tempo. How he controls games against structured teams like Canada will go a long way to deciding Pakistan’s week.

The goalkeepers. Ahsan Mahmood and Ihtesham Muhammad share the goalkeeping duties behind a six-man defensive unit of Muhammad Farooq, Asam Haider, Ali Ansar, Samiullah, Ali Hamza and Usman Ghani. In a short tournament, one big save can be worth a place in the final.

The forward line. Rana Waleed, Rana Sami, Ghulam Mustafa, Adeel and Muhammad Usman carry Pakistan’s goalscoring threat. With Shaheer, Saifullah, Hamza Fayyaz and Yahya Najeeb joining Ammad in midfield, Pakistan have the runners to supply them. Finishing will be the test. It usually is.

The squad is managed by Ayaz Mahmood, with Syed Hussain as head coach and Azfar Yaqoob as assistant coach.

Pakistan’s final registered squad at FIH TMS lists Muhammad Ammad as captain; an earlier announcement named Muhammad Imad — this page follows the official tournament registration.

One practical note if you’re planning to watch: streaming details for the tournament still haven’t been announced. The moment an official stream is confirmed, we’ll update this page and our Sultan of Johor Cup coverage.

Facts box — Sultan of Johor Cup 2026

• Tournament: Sultan of Johor Cup 2026 (men’s U21)
• Venue: Johor Bahru, Malaysia
• Dates: 17–24 October 2026
• Teams: Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, China, Japan
• Format: Group stage, then 3rd-place match and final on 24 October
• Pakistan captain: Muhammad Ammad
• Final: Saturday 24 October, 5:05 pm PKT
• Streaming: To be confirmed

Follow the whole tournament

Start with our main Johor Cup preview, then follow the opening-day preview, the Day 1 results, the Day 2 results, Day 3’s results and the updated table, today’s LIVE Pakistan v Malaysia coverage, the where-to-watch guide and live scores in the Live Centre.