Indian men’s hockey squad was placed in Pool D with England, Spain, and Wales. India is the highest-ranked team in its pool, currently rated fifth in the world.
The teams who placed second and third in the group stage will play crossover matches to determine their status in the competition, while the group stage winners move through to the quarterfinals.
Australia, the gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games, is grouped with Chile, Argentina, and France in Pool A. Belgium, the current world champion, South Korea, Germany, who is placed fourth, and Japan are all in Pool B.
Pool C includes the Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Chile.
The coveted event will also be held this time in the heart of Odisha’s hockey belt, Rourkela, a region famous for its legacy in the sport and having produced numerous international players. The iconic Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar hosted the previous edition of the World Cup and was praised worldwide for its exceptional infrastructure.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar and the brand-new Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela will be the two locations for the event from January 13 to 29 of the following year.
India has hosted the World Cup twice in a row and four times total.
