Pakistan head to Manila for Asia Pacific Padel Cup challenge

Pakistan headed to Manila with more than a squad and a schedule. Managed by The Padel Collective and backed by Punjab officials, the national team’s trip to the Asia Pacific Padel Cup signaled how quickly padel is moving from a niche scene toward a recognized sports program in the country.

The APPC runs from June 25 to 28 at Play Padel McKinley in Metro Manila, with Padel Pilipinas hosting the event. Ten teams from seven countries are entered across professional and amateur draws, and team points will be pooled across male, female and mixed categories to decide the final result. Pakistan is in the professional draw, while the Philippines arrives as defending champion after winning APPC 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, and Indonesia remains the benchmark as the inaugural winner in Bali in 2024.

For Pakistan, the trip carries real sporting weight because it is only the country’s second appearance in the competition. The debut in Kuala Lumpur last year ended with Pakistan sixth among eight teams and four wins from 24 matches, but it also put the country on the regional map. That first APPC campaign was led by captain Azhar Katchi and vice captain Mehak Taherani, and it gave Pakistan a first taste of the pace, depth and mixed-format demands that now define the tournament.

The 2026 push is backed by a broader development plan. Punjab Sports Minister Malik Faisal Ayub Khokhar and chief minister adviser Ali Dar attended a send-off ceremony on June 20, where Khokhar said 14 more modern padel courts were being built across Punjab and that a new court would soon open in Sialkot. He also said Sports Punjab and AI would stage a padel tournament after Muharram, while Dar pointed to AI Vision 2029 as part of the province’s effort to link modern technology with sports growth.

The practical effect of that support matters as much as the symbolism. More courts mean more access, more junior players and a better route from club play to national selection. The Padel Collective and Prescott Development added another layer on June 10 when they announced Pakistan’s full APPC 2026 lineups, confirming pro and amateur squads and framing the campaign as part of a wider pathway for the sport. Among the names in the build-up were Mamoon Qureshi, Ashfaq Asghar, Murtaza Salim, Talal Shah Khan, Sami Ur Rehman, Aamil Tabani and Aqsa Khalid, a spread that shows the player pool widening beyond a single headline team.

Pakistan Padel Federation, which is affiliated with the International Padel Federation, has also been active in domestic development this year. Its men’s team reached the Top 8 at the FIP Asia Cup 2025 in Doha after wins over China and Thailand, another sign that Pakistan is no longer just entering tournaments, but beginning to compete in them.