Which are the countries to win Men's Hockey Asian Champions Trophy

These teams have played brilliantly in the tournament over the years.

The sixth edition of the Men’s Hockey Asian Champions Trophy is set to start on 14 December. It will be played in Dhaka, Bangladesh – with the final taking place on 22 December. The tournament will be contested among six teams, with every single one playing each other in a round-robin format initially.

The four-best teams will qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semis move onto the final, where the winner of the tournament is awarded. So far, there have been five editions of the Asian Champions Trophy since it was first played in 2011. Here we take a look at the past winners of the tournament:

2011 – India

The first-ever edition of the Asian Champions Trophy was held in Ordos, China in 2011. India were favourites for the title and ensured that the expectations were met. The Indian hockey team didn’t have it easy, however, as they finished in second place after the round-robin games.

But, that was enough for them to book a place in the finals against arch-rivals Pakistan. The final was a tight affair, with neither team able to outwit each other in normal time. Eventually, a penalty shootout decided the game. India showed strong character to hold their resolve and win on penalties, becoming the first-ever Asian Champions Trophy champions.

2012 – Pakistan

Just a year after the first edition, the Asian Champions Trophy took place once again in 2012 in Doha, Qatar. This time, Pakistan ensured to get their revenge over India for humiliating them in the earlier tournament.

Incidentally, Pakistan finished second in the round-robin and just about managed to qualify for the final, barely piping Malaysia via superior goal-difference. They played out an absolute thriller in the final against India.

Pakistan came out as winners by the margin of 5-4, thanks to the heroics of Muhammad Waqas. He finished as the top scorer with 11 goals, helping Pakistan win their first-ever Asian Champions Trophy.

2013 – Pakistan

The Pakistan hockey team continued their impressive run at the Asian Champions Trophy in the 2013 edition held in Japan. They defeated India once again by the margin of 5-4 in the round-robin match, as the Indian team stuttered to a fifth-place finish among the six teams.

Pakistan faced Japan in the final, but were not to be outdone by the hosts. Even after going 0-1 down to an early goal, they rallied back to win the match 3-1 and seal back-to-back Asian Champions Trophy titles – becoming the first nation to do so.

2016 – India

After an extremely disappointing outing at the 2013 edition, India roared back in the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy that was held in Malaysia. From this edition, the rules for the tournament were slightly altered to make it more competitive.

It was from the 2016 edition that the ‘semi-finals rule’ was implemented. That meant six teams participated in the round-robin format, with the four best teams moving onto the semi-finals. The bottom two would face each other in the fifth-place match. India dominated the round-robin phase, winning four out of five matches. In the semi-finals, they faced a daunting South Korea. However, they worked hard and eventually won the game on penalties, after playing out a 2-2 draw in normal time.

In the final, India faced two-time defending champions and rivals Pakistan. It was an absolute thriller. India stormed into a two-goal lead in the 23rd minute, before Pakistan made it 2-2. Eventually, Chandanda Nikkin scored the winner, helping India lift the title.

2018 – India & Pakistan (joint-winners)

The 2018 edition of the Asian Champions Trophy was held in Oman. The defending champions once again dominated the round-robin phase, topping it in comfortable fashion.

They faced a challenging Japan side in the semi-finals. However, the Indian side showed impressive resolve to grind out a 3-2 win to once again move into the finals. The stage was set for them to face Pakistan in a mouth-watering final, but rain played spoilsport. The game couldn’t be held at all due to persistent rain, with the organizers declaring both India and Pakistan the joint-winners.

Heading into the 2021 edition, India and Pakistan both have three Asian Champions Trophy titles each. With the battle for bragging rights set to take place, one can expect a thrilling tournament on display over the next week.

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