"Sports in Pakistan: Cricket, Polo and Traditional Games"

Cricket is by far the most popular of the sports in Pakistan, while field hockey is the national sport and polo, kabaddi, wrestling and tent pegging carry on as traditional games. For a traveller the easiest things to watch are an international cricket match in Lahore, Karachi or Rawalpindi, the Shandur Polo Festival in the mountains each June or July, and the polo season at the Lahore Polo Club in late winter. Village melas across Punjab and Sindh fill in the rest with kabaddi, neza bazi and bull races.

This guide covers each sport, where it is played and how a visitor can see it.

Where can you watch cricket in Pakistan?

Cricket dominates. Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, the 2009 World Twenty20 and the 2017 Champions Trophy, and a big home international draws huge crowds. Most international cricket is played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the National Bank Stadium in Karachi and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with Multan and Faisalabad used less often.

The autumn 2026 home season is unusually full: three T20Is against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi from 9 October, an ODI tri-series with Sri Lanka and England from 18 to 31 October, and two Tests against Sri Lanka in November. Tickets for the cheapest enclosures were PKR 200 to 300. Tickets are sold only through the PCB's portal and TCS Express Centres. Our guide to Pakistan's cricket stadiums compares the grounds and explains match-day security and parking.

Is hockey still played?

Field hockey is the national sport, and Pakistan was once its strongest team: three Olympic golds (1960, 1968 and 1984) and four World Cups (1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994). The team has declined since, and international matches in Pakistan are now rare. The National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, inside the Nishtar Park Sports Complex, holds 45,000 and is described as the world's largest terraced hockey stadium. Check the Pakistan Hockey Federation's announcements if you want to catch a game there.

What about squash and athletics?

Squash is Pakistan's other great sporting story. Jahangir Khan went unbeaten for 555 matches between 1981 and 1986, a Guinness record, and Jansher Khan won the World Open eight times. In August 2026 Jahangir Khan opened a new squash complex at Nishtar Park in Lahore.

In athletics, Arshad Nadeem won Olympic gold in the javelin at Paris 2024 with a throw of 92.97 metres, an Olympic record, and made the event a household name.

Where can you watch polo?

Shandur

The Shandur Polo Festival is played at what is described as the world's highest polo ground, at about 3,700 metres on the pass between Chitral and Gilgit. Teams from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan play freestyle mountain polo, a faster and looser game than the formal version. The 2026 festival ran in mid-June, earlier than the usual July slot, and about 30,000 people watched Gilgit-Baltistan beat Chitral 6-5 in the final, its first title in 15 years. There is music, camping and paragliding around the matches.

Most Pakistani visitors reach Shandur from the Gilgit side through Ghizer. The approach from Peshawar to Chitral uses the N45, which the UK advises against all travel on. Our Shandur Polo Festival guide covers dates, camping and the drive.

Lahore Polo Club

Lahore has a far more formal season, with teams fielding hired players from Argentina and Iran. The 97th Punjab Polo Cup began on 18 February 2026, followed by the National Open in March. The club says the Punjab Cup has been played there for 141 years, making it the oldest sporting event in the country. Ask the club about spectator access before you go.

What are Pakistan's traditional sports?

• Kabaddi. Circle kabaddi, played by raiders and stoppers in a ring, is the big rural sport of Punjab and is played at melas and tournaments. See our guide to kabaddi in Pakistan.
• Neza bazi (tent pegging). Riders at full gallop spear a small wooden peg out of the ground. It is popular in Punjab, and women riders have begun to compete. Our neza bazi guide explains where to see it.
• Kushti. Traditional wrestling in earth pits, called akharas, with a famous Lahore tradition. The Great Gama, undefeated for over 50 years, died in Lahore in 1960.
• Malakhro. Sindhi wrestling, in which each wrestler grips a twisted cloth around the other's waist. In 2026 it was taken to Japan to feature alongside sumo at a Pakistan culture festival in Osaka.
• Bull and camel racing. Bull races are held at village fairs in Punjab, and camel racing is part of the culture of the Cholistan desert.
• Kite flying. Basant returned to Lahore in February 2026 after a ban dating from 2007, under strict rooftop rules. The Punjab government plans a bigger festival for February 2027. See our Basant in Lahore guide.

When is the best time to see sport in Pakistan?

Dates move every year, so confirm each event before you plan around it.

Is it worth building a trip around sport?

For a cricket fan, an international in Lahore or Rawalpindi is the easiest win: cheap tickets, a huge crowd and a city to explore the next day. Shandur is a real expedition, worth it for anyone who wants high mountain scenery as much as polo, but it needs a sturdy vehicle, warm clothes and a flexible schedule. Village kabaddi and neza bazi give the most local experience, but they are hard to time unless you know someone in the area. More ideas are on our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions