Men's Hockey World Cup 2023: India set to open the tournament against Spain in Rourkela

The Indian hockey team will begin its FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 campaign against Spain on January 13 at the newly constructed Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. India, currently ranked fifth in the world, are the highest-ranked team among the four teams in Pool D. Spain is ranked eighth in the world and has performed well recently under former Netherlands coach Max Caldas.

On January 15, India, the bronze medalist from Tokyo 2020, will face world No. 6 England at the same venue. India and England met in the group stages of the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham and played a thrilling 4-4 draw.

The Indian men's hockey team will play its final Pool D match on January 19 against world No. 16 Wales at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The stadium is the second venue for the upcoming men's Hockey World Cup.

The 15th edition of the Hockey Men's World Cup will feature 16 countries competing for the title, divided into four groups. The tournament will consist of 44 matches, with the final scheduled for January 29 at the Kalinga Stadium, which also hosted the 2018 World Cup final.

The four pool winners will advance to the quarter-finals, while the teams finishing second and third in their pools will compete in crossover matches for the remaining four quarter-final spots.

India's best World Cup result came in 1975 when they defeated Pakistan 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur to claim their only World Cup title to date. Pakistan, the most successful World Cup team with four titles, failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The World Cup will be held in India for the fourth time in 2023.

World Cup 2023 groups

Australia, South Africa, France, Argentina: Pool A

Belgium, Japan, Korea, Germany: Pool B

Netherlands, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand: Pool C

India, Wales, Spain, England: Pool D

India's fixtures in the tournament

13th January, Friday: India vs Spain - 7:00 PM IST

15th January, Sunday: India vs England – 7:00 PM IST

19th January, Thursday: India vs Wales – 7:00 PM IST