African Hockey Federation | FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela: 100 days to go!

5 October 2022

Lausanne, Switzerland: The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela bursts into action in exactly 100 days at the joint venues of Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar and the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.

The 16 teams in the hunt for the gold medal know their pools and the opponents that stand between them and the ultimate glory. The organizing team has pulled out all the stops to ensure the best possible experience for the players and the fans. The officials are primed and ready to ensure a smooth-running and fairly contested tournament. The fans are ready to cheer for the biggest hockey stars, and witness the highest quality of hockey action that will set their pulses racing!

Both Bhubaneswar and Rourkela are located in the state of Odisha in India which has hosted various international hockey events in recent years including the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in 2021 and the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. This will be the second consecutive men’s world cup being hosted in the State of Odisha, India.

The opening day of action in the World Cup will see matches being played in both Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, as 2016 Olympic Gold medalists Argentina take on reigning African Champions South Africa in the opening encounter, followed by more Pool A action between World No. 1 Australia and the rapidly improving France, at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The action will then shift to Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, where England will take on Wales in the first game to be played at the brand-new stadium. The final game of the opening day will pit hosts India against Spain in a contest that has proven to be full of goals, in recent times.

While sharing his anticipation for the upcoming World Cup, FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “It really is exciting that the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela is only 100 days away! We’re looking forward to outstanding matches in the iconic Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar and the brand-new Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, which will be a fantastic legacy for hockey, not only for India but for the world. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to renew our thanks to Hockey India for putting together what will for sure be a memorable event, our best wishes to all teams and our invitation to fans to come to the stadium in numbers or watch the matches on TV or on Watch.Hockey. Don’t miss the show!”

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said: “Hosting the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela is a huge honor for us and we cannot wait to welcome the world’s top hockey players to India. All the preparations for the tournament are on track and we are very excited to organize the biggest hockey tournament. I would like to invite all the hockey fans to Bhubaneswar and Rourkela to witness the high-octane action between the world’s best sides.”

Sports Minister, Odisha, Tusharkanti Behera, shared: “With just 100 days to go, Hockey craze is at an all time high in the state. The excitement is building up, especially in Rourkela where a Hockey World Cup will be hosted for the first time. At both Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, preparations, in all aspects, are going on in full swing. Odisha eagerly awaits to welcome the teams and along with FIH & Hockey India is confident of putting up a spectacular World Cup.”

Hockey has already shown itself to be hugely popular with the local fans in Odisha, and once again the 2023 World Cup will add an international flavor to the mix, with fans traveling from all over the world to cheer for the teams, adding to the great enthusiasm brought forward by the local fans, who have been present in large numbers at the previous events including the Men’s World Cup, Junior Men’s World Cup and the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Watch/listen to what players have to say with 100 days to go to the World Cup!

Match schedule

The full match schedule for the World Cup can be found here.

Tickets

The ticket sales for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela will start shortly. However, all fans are encouraged to pre-register their interest by filling the following form: https://fih.formstack.com/forms/world_cup_tickets_pre_registration

Pools

Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa
Pool B: Belgium, Germany, Korea, Japan
Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile
Pool D: India, England, Spain, Wales

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