Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 8: India was placed in Pool D with three other European nations, namely England, Spain, and Wales, for the Hockey World Cup, which will take place in Odisha in January 2023.
India is the highest-ranked team in the group, at number 5, but it won’t be easy for the hosts to get directly to the quarterfinals. They will play a rival against whom they have a mixed record in England (rank 6). India and England have frequently played high-scoring games, with England typically winning big matches.
The DRAW is set in stone, and we will have England, Spain, and Wales as our companion in Pool D for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.
Share your thoughts on the draw. 👇 pic.twitter.com/lijw7zVhmq
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 8, 2022
Wales (rank 16) may appear to be the weakest of the four teams, but they have demonstrated the capacity to punch above their weight in European championships. Wales (rank 8) has always been a difficult team to play against and has grown stronger under former Netherlands coach Max Caldas.
The teams who finished second and third in each group will compete in crossover matches to determine their fate, while the group winners will move directly to the quarterfinals.
With three equally matched teams competing for the top spot and a direct entry into the last eight, Pool D appears to be the toughest pool. Australia, Argentina, France, and South Africa make up Pool A.
While the Netherlands, Chile, Malaysia, and New Zealand make up Pool C, Belgium, Germany, South Korea, and Japan will compete for first place in Pool B.
