Men’s Asia Cup hockey: Complete list of champions
South Korea are the most successful team in the competition with five titles while Pakistan and India have won it three times each.
The men’s Asia Cup hockey tournament has been running since 1982.
Since the inaugural edition hosted by Pakistan, there have been 11 editions of the continental hockey showdown so far.
The Asian hockey tournament is essentially quadrennial but there have been instances when the tournament has been held in two-year and five-year gaps due to various situations.
The inaugural 1982 edition was hosted in Karachi and hosts Pakistan were the first-ever men’s Asia Cup hockey champions. It was the only edition played in a round-robin format where every team played each other once and the top three teams won the gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Seven teams – Pakistan, India, China, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Singapore – participated in the inaugural edition of the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey in 1982. Japan were also set to participate but withdrew.
The 1982 edition was initially scheduled in Lahore but due to incessant rains, was moved to Karachi.
From the second edition in 1985, knockout matches were introduced after round-robin group stages. The bronze medal was decided with a third-place playoff match between the losing semi-finalists. This format continues.
To date, 16 nations have participated in the men’s Asia Cup hockey with Indonesia becoming the latest addition in 2022. However, only three teams – Pakistan, South Korea and India – have ever lifted the trophy.
Pakistan won the first three editions on the trot but from 1994 onwards, India and South Korea have traded the trophy between themselves.
South Korea are the most successful team in the history of the men’s Asia Cup hockey with five titles (1994, 1999, 2009, 2013 and 2022). India have three, with their last win at the 2017 edition in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Barring India, Pakistan and South Korea, Malaysia (two silvers and a bronze) and China (two bronze) are the only other countries who have medalled in the men’s Asia Cup hockey to date.