Mann Pitches Punjab as Host of 2030 Hockey World Cup at Jalandhar Trophy Openingਮਾਨ ਨੇ 2030 ਹਾਕੀ ਵਿਸ਼ਵ ਕੱਪ ਦੀ ਮੇਜ਼ਬਾਨੀ ਲਈ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਦਾਅਵਾ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕੀਤਾ

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, said the state is ready to host the 2030 Hockey World Cup and urged Hockey India to name Punjab as host. Speaking at the inauguration of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar, Mann appealed to Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh to make the announcement during the tournament's closing ceremony on November 5, Punjab Khabarnama reported.

A first for Punjab

The Asian Champions Trophy is being hosted by Punjab for the first time, with six nations taking part: India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. Mann welcomed the teams, honoured the six captains and described the championship as the fulfilment of a long-standing dream of Punjab's hockey players to compete in an international tournament on home soil, Yes Punjab News reported. India will host the Hockey World Cup in 2030, and Mann said Punjab will certainly stake its claim to host matches of the tournament, adding that a successful Champions Trophy would strengthen that case.

Hockey is in Punjab's blood, says Mann

Mann said Punjab and hockey share an inseparable bond, and that the state's fertile soil has produced not only hardworking farmers who feed the country but also Olympians and world champions. He noted that nine of the eleven players in the Indian team are from Punjab. The state government, he said, wants to bring hockey back to the people, arguing that the game cannot survive only in stadiums and must live in villages, schools, academies and playgrounds.

The sports push behind the pitch

The Chief Minister said his government has allocated a sports budget of Rs 1,743 crore for the current financial year and is developing 3,148 rural sports grounds, of which 750 have been inaugurated, along with 6,000 modern gymnasiums, 500 of them already operational. Players preparing for the Olympics receive Rs 15 lakh in assistance, while those preparing for the Asian and Commonwealth Games receive Rs 8 lakh, he said. Since 2022, more than 40,000 players have received cash awards worth Rs 135 crore, and the state's medal policy pays Rs 3 crore for Olympic gold, Rs 2 crore for silver and Rs 1 crore for bronze.

A pitch, not a decision

Mann's remarks are Punjab's hosting ambition, not a confirmed decision: the final call on World Cup venues rests with the hockey authorities. The Champions Trophy runs in Jalandhar and Mohali until November 5, and Punjab's handling of its first continental tournament is widely seen as the audition for the bigger prize the Chief Minister is now openly chasing.

What did Bhagwant Mann propose in Jalandhar?

That Punjab host the 2030 Hockey World Cup, urging Hockey India to announce it at the Asian Champions Trophy closing ceremony on November 5.

Has Punjab been confirmed as 2030 World Cup host?

No. Mann has made the pitch; the decision rests with Hockey India and the international federation.

Which teams are playing the Asian Champions Trophy in Punjab?

India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia, in the first edition of the tournament hosted by Punjab.