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Hero Asia Cup 2025 will be organised in Bihar’s historic city Rajgir in August-September. Back in 1982, its inaugural edition took place in Pakistan’s Karachi and the hosts became the champions after beating their neighbours India in the final. Thus far, 11 installments of the continental tournament have been played in which five have been won by South Korea, which is the most by any team. In 2022, Indonesia’s Jakarta hosted the event and South Korea beat Malaysia by 2-1 to lift the coveted trophy for the fifth time. India won their last title in 2017 after defeating Malaysia in the final of the edition, held in Bangladesh’s Dhaka.
The upcoming 12th edition of the hockey event will take place from August 29 to September 7, in Rajgir. The schedule was officially announced following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Hockey India and Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA) on April 1. Rajgir will host the second sports event within a year as the iconic city also hosted the Women's Asian Champions Trophy from November 11 to 20, 2024. The competition was won by India after beating China in the final.
Eight teams will participate at the event
A total of eight teams will show up in the tournament to be played for 10 days. India, Pakistan, China, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia will directly enter the event. Two more sides will be joining the competition after topping their groups in the 2025 Men’s AHF Cup, which will be held in Indonesia’s Jakarta from April 17 to 27, 2025.
The winner of the competition will earn a direct entry in the 2026 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, scheduled to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands. India, as hosts, will chase the fourth title under their captain Harmanpreet Singh.
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