The Hockey World Cup 2023 will see 16 teams from around the world compete in the tournament. It will be hosted by India and will feature a variety of different matches, from crossovers to groups. This article outlines a bit about what to expect from the competition, including the group schedule, the host country and the groups that will be competing.
16 teams will compete
The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will take place in Odisha, India, from January 13 to 29. It will be the 15th edition of the event. Teams from 16 countries will compete in the event. There are four groups of four teams each.
Each team will play three matches during the group stage, followed by a cross-over round for second and third placed teams. The top three finishers will qualify for the quarterfinals. Those that finish in fourth or fifth place will be eliminated.
The tournament will be held in two cities in Odisha. The main event will be in Bhubaneswar, while the remaining matches will be held in Rourkela. Both venues will be able to accommodate a total of 20,000 fans.
Teams from around the world will come together in the event to vie for the top prize. The competition will be governed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Several countries made it to the tournament through the FIH World Ranking and continental championships.
The host nation, India, will be hoping to end a long trophy drought. They last won the World Cup in 1975. Team India’s captain, Harmanpreet Singh, led the team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was instrumental in leading the team to a bronze medal.
India will be backed by home fans. In their last match in a major tournament, the team beat Indonesia 16-0 in the Asia Cup. For the first time since the 1970s, India will have the chance to clinch the top four and qualify for the main event.
The defending champions, Belgium, are in Pool B. Other teams include Argentina, Australia, England, Spain, Finland, and South Africa. Currently, Belgium is the top ranked team in the world.
Hosts India
India has been announced as the hosts for the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup. The tournament will be held in the state of Odisha from January 13 to 29. This will be the second time that India has hosted the World Cup. It was in 2010, when the tournament was held in New Delhi.
In the Men’s Hockey World Cup, 16 teams will take part in the tournament. The top four teams from each pool will advance directly to the quarter-finals.
Teams that have not qualified for the World Cup will be given a chance to compete in the classification and crossover matches. Matches will be played in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.
Despite a five-year wait, the World Cup has finally returned. In addition to announcing its host, the FIH also released its schedule for the upcoming tournament.
The 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Both of these cities will host twenty matches. All games will be live-streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.
In the past, India has hosted the tournament three times. In 1975, the country won the tournament. It defeated archrival Pakistan in the final. However, the team lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the Indian men’s team clinched a bronze medal.
India is placed in Pool D of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2023. Other teams in the pool include Australia, Argentina, England, and Spain.
While India has won the men’s hockey world cup twice, they have not won the tournament in the last four years. They lost to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in 2018.
India will hope to bring the trophy back to India in 2018. The nation is the defending champions, and will be a major contender in the tournament.
Groups
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 will be held in the Indian state of Odisha. It will feature 16 teams that will be vying for the title. A total of 44 matches will be played in the course of 17 days. This is the fourth time that the event is being hosted in India.
The Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup will start on January 13th in Bhubaneswar. Teams will play three games in the group stage before heading to the crossover matches. After the crossover matches, the top four teams from each pool will move to the quarterfinals.
Defending champions Belgium will play two-time champions Germany in Pool B. Team India will be accompanied by England in Group D.
Having won two Olympic silver medals and a bronze in the Tokyo Games, India has an experienced roster. Harmanpreet Singh will lead the team.
Spain, Argentina, and Australia will also be part of the competition. Pakistan has a great history of bringing home titles. They have been a regular in the world cup and won its first edition in Barcelona in 1971 and its second in Mumbai in 1978.
Malaysia will make its maiden appearance in the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup. Its high-paced attacking style of hockey will be a challenge for teams from the continent.
Chile will also be making its maiden World Cup appearance. Jorge Dabanch will be their coach. He has played a major role in their qualification for the tournament.
New Zealand is another regular in the world cup. They finished ninth in the last edition. However, they are also one of the favourites to win the event.
Crossovers
The Hockey World Cup 2023 will be played in India. This will be the 15th edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup and it will be hosted by the Indian state of Odisha. It will be the second time that India will host the Hockey World Cup.
Hockey World Cup 2023 will be held in three venues: Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, and the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Twenty-four matches will be played over a 17-day period. A grand opening ceremony will be held on 11 January in the Barabati Stadium.
The tournament will feature 16 teams. There will be four groups of four teams each, with the winners directly advancing to the quarterfinals.
There will be a total of 44 matches played in the World Cup. During the group stage, every team will play the other team in their pool. After the group stage, all teams will play classification matches until positions are finalized.
The two-time champions Australia and defending champions Belgium are in Pool A, while England, Argentina, France, and Canada are in Pool B. Pool C will see Chile play in its first ever Hockey World Cup.
In the crossover round, the second and third placed teams in each pool will play. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals, while the losers will be relegated to the ninth to sixteenth placed teams.
India finished behind the two top teams in Pool B. Despite this, the Indians remained in the hunt for a berth in the quarterfinals. However, the team failed to score during the final match against New Zealand. They lost the game 3-4.
Schedule
The Hockey World Cup is an international hockey competition held every four years. It attracts millions of spectators all around the world. Each time it takes place in a different country. This year, it will be hosted by India. During the tournament, 16 teams will compete for the title.
The Hockey World Cup will take place in two cities: Rourkela in Odisha and Bhubaneswar in Andhra Pradesh. Teams from all over the world will participate. The finals will be held in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Until then, 24 matches will be played.
For the 2023 edition, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has released a schedule. It includes all of the groups, playoffs and quarter finals. You can check the schedule online.
In the first stage, each team will play three games. Groups A, B, C and D will have four teams in each. After that, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
The other eight teams will participate in the classification round. These teams will play each other in 13-16th place classification matches.
For the quarter-finals, the bottom-placed team will be knocked out. Teams in the finals will be goalkeepers. Team rankings will be based on the FIH World Ranking at midnight.
The Hockey World Cup 2023 will be hosted by India. The nation is hosting its second consecutive World Cup. However, the team has not been successful in winning a World Cup since 1975.
To watch live Hockey World Cup matches, tickets are available. The full schedule for the event is on the FIH website. FIH will stream matches on its app, Disney+ Hotstar, and the Star Sports Network in India.