India to face Spain in 2023 Hockey World Cup opener

India, who won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, will face England, ranked No. 6 in the world, on January 15 at the same location.

On January 19, the Indian men's hockey team will play its final Pool D game at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the second location for the 2023 men's Hockey World Cup, versus Wales, ranked 16th in the world. The Hockey World Cup 2023 will begin on January 13 and continue until January 29, with four pools of four teams battling it out for the Championship trophy. India is placed in pool D along with Spain, England and Wales. Currently fifth in the hockey rankings, Graham Reid-coached India are the top-ranked side among the four teams in Pool D. Spain are ranked eighth in the world and have impressed of late under former Netherlands coach Max Caldas. 2016 Olympic Gold medallists Argentina and Africa's highest-ranked nation South Africa will open the 2023 FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup. The encounter between these two powerhouses of international hockey will take place on January 13 at Kalinga Stadium, which hosted the last Men's World Cup final in 2018. The second match of the day in Bhubaneswar will see the world's number one Australia taking on France, in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup quarter-final. Later on the same day, the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela will host its first-ever FIH World Cup matches, starting with a "derby" between England and Wales In total, 44 matches will be played, with the Final scheduled on January 29 (7 pm local time) in Bhubaneswar. The draw held on September 8 in Bhubaneswar determined the four Pools as follows: Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa Pool B: Belgium, Germany, Korea, Japan Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand,