Hockey India has announced free entry for all 20 matches of the men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026, which runs from October 27 to November 5 in Jalandhar and Mohali, The Bridge reported. The opening ceremony and league matches from October 27 to November 2 will be at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar, and the semi-finals on November 4 and the medal matches on November 5 at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. India, the defending champions in the ninth edition, play Bangladesh on October 27, China on October 29, Japan on October 30, Malaysia on November 1 and South Korea on November 2. Spectators register in advance for digital passes through TicketGenie and enter with QR codes.
The case that free entry will be good for the sport rests on the aim and the schedule. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said: “By making entry free for the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026, we hope to bring more supporters to the stands and give them an opportunity to experience the excitement of top-level international hockey.” Punjab is a hockey heartland, and two grounds named after Olympians, Surjit Singh and Balbir Singh Senior, host the matches. India are the defending champions, so the home crowd has a title-holding side to watch. Five league matches in six days, against Bangladesh, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, give spectators a full programme.
The case for caution is that free entry does not guarantee full stadiums and the details are not complete. The announcement gave no stadium capacity figures, so it is not possible to say how many seats are available, and fans must register in advance and show a QR code, which adds a step that may deter casual visitors. A tournament of 20 matches over 10 days has many fixtures that do not involve India, and the pools include teams, such as Bangladesh and China, that are not expected to draw large crowds. The Bridge did not report how the free passes will be allocated if demand is high, or whether the digital ticketing system can handle large numbers.
The tournament matters for Indian hockey because it is one of the main chances for the home public to see the national team in action after the Asian Games, and because attendance at international hockey in India has often been smaller than for cricket. For Hockey India, free entry is a way of building a fan base and gathering data through registration, and for the players, a full stadium in Jalandhar or Mohali is a boost. The competition also gives India a chance to defend a title, and for Asian teams it is a preparation event. India’s fixtures run from October 27 to November 2, against Bangladesh, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, and the knockout stage moves to Mohali for the semi-finals on November 4.
Free entry to all 20 matches is a bold move for a tournament that India are defending. The attendance in Jalandhar and Mohali will show whether the strategy works.
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