Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, September 29, 2022: India’s men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh says he is excited to begin the FIH World Cup campaign in the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela in January.
India will take on Spain on January 13 in their first Pool D match at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 following the announcement of the schedule on September 27.
"Now that we know where we will begin our campaign and against whom, there is certainly a lot of excitement in the team,” Manpreet told the Asian Hockey Federation.
“We have all experienced how electrifying the atmosphere can be in Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Hockey Stadium and, from what I have heard from my teammates who are from Sundergarh, the fans from this region are all looking to turn up in huge numbers for all the matches to be played in Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
“I can already feel the goosebumps thinking of the turnout for the opening game," Manpreet added.
"It is the fans who make the experience of playing in Odisha doubly special and we are all eagerly awaiting to showcase our best in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023.”
India is grouped in Pool D along with England, Spain and Wales.
“It will be quite incredible to play in the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium which will be the biggest stadium in the country with more than 20,000 seating capacity,” said Manpreet.
“In all, these are exciting times for hockey and I hope fans from all over the world will come to Rourkela and Bhubaneswar to support our campaign.”
All teams will play in both venues.
In total, 44 matches will be played, with the World Cup Final scheduled on January 29 (7pm local time) in Bhubaneswar.
The draw was held on September 8 in Bhubaneswar
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