Bhubaneswar: Along with European giants England, Spain and Wales in Group D, hosts India will begin their campaign against Spain at the 2023 Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in Rourkela on January 13, the opening day of the competition.
While India, the 1975 winners, will take on Spain in the most-watched match at 7:00 pm at the newly constructed Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, the first day’s action will begin with a 1:00 pm match between the Olympic gold 2016 medalists Argentina and Africa’s top-ranked nation South Africa at the Kalinga Stadium here.
The second match of the day will also be played in Bhubaneswar, with world No. 1 Australia taking on Paris 2023 hosts France, in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup quarter-final.
The opening match at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela will be a ‘derby’ between England and Wales, with India and Spain rounding off the day’s action.
While Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist India, England, Spain and Wales comprise Group D, according to the draw held on September 8, the 16 teams have been divided into four groups. Group A will feature Australia, Argentina, France and South Africa; Group B includes Belgium, Germany, Korea and Japan, while Group C includes the Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile.
Defending champions Belgium will kick off their campaign against South Korea at 17:00 on January 14, while former champions the Netherlands will be in action at 15:00 on the same day.
All teams will play matches at both venues. A total of 44 matches will be played, with the final scheduled for January 29 (7:00 PM local time) in Bhubaneswar.
India, who are ranked fifth in the world, will meet eighth-ranked Spain, who have made great strides in the last year or so under former Dutch coach Max Caldes, will face world No.6 England in their second match in January 15 at the same place in Rourkela.
The Graham Reid-coached side will conclude their Group D campaign on January 19 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar against Wales.
After the round-robin preliminary group matches, the four group leaders will book a direct place in the quarter-finals, while the eight teams finishing second and third in their respective groups will play in crossover matches to determine the remaining four quarter-finals.
At the latest edition of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018, Manpreet Singh-led India topped the group stage with two wins and a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Belgium. However, India suffered a narrow 2-1 loss to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals after leading 1-0 at one stage.
In the latest edition of the 2018 Men’s World Cup, Manpreet Singh-led India topped the group stage with two wins and a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Belgium. However, India suffered a narrow 2-1 loss against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals after leading 1-0 at one stage.
(IANS)