Olympian Manzoor Ul-Hassan appointed as Pakistan hockey team's head coach

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Tuesday appointed Olympian Manzoor Ul-Hassan as the head coach of the national men's team, ahead of their drought-ending participation in the World Cup, scheduled to run from August 15 to 30.

Manzoor, who was a part of the Pakistan squad that won the bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, replaced former national player Khawaja Junaid, who spearheaded the team's coaching panel at the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026.

Furthermore, the PHF also confirmed Samiullah Khan will lead a full-time selection committee, which further includes Naeem Akhtar, Kashif Jawad, Mohammad Khalid, Nasir Ali and Atif Bashir.

On the other hand, Ayaz Mahmood has been named the head coach of the Pakistan junior team, while Qamar Ibrahim will take charge of the national Under-18 side.

The PHF also shared that the respective head coaches will also be part of the selection process, ensuring closer coordination in squad formation.

The series of appointments comes just a month after Pakistan qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup for the first time since 2018 following a narrow 4-3 victory over Japan in the semi-final of the Qualifiers, held at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Hockey Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.

Pakistan kicked off their campaign with a narrow 5-4 victory over China, powered by a brace from Rana Waheed.

A dominant 5-3 win over Malaysia followed, before they rounded off the group stage with a resounding 4-2 triumph over Austria, with Abu Mahmood netting twice.

The Green Shirts then faced England in the final of the qualifying event but suffered a gruelling 4-1 defeat.