2023 Men's Hockey World Cup - Format Explained

The 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from 13th to 29th January. This is the fourth time India is hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup, having done so thrice previously in 2018, 2010 and 1981-82.

A total of 16 best teams from across the globe will flock down to the eastern coast of India for the prestigious tournament. They include Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa, Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile, England, Spain, Wales, and hosts India.

Here, we take a look at the format for the World Cup.

What is the format of the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup?

For starters, all the 16 teams have been divided into four different groups of four teams each.

Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa

Pool B: Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Japan

Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile

Pool D: England, Spain, Wales, India

All the teams will play the teams drawn in their pool once in the group stage. At the end of the 3-match group stage, the teams which top the group will earn a direct entry into the quarterfinals, while the teams finishing second and third will have to fight it out in the crossovers to advance further.

The teams which fail to win their crossover will move into the 9th to 16th placed crossovers, while the winners of the crossovers will move into the quarterfinals.

The winners of the quarterfinals will move into the semifinals, and the winners of semifinals into the all-important final for the title. The losing semifinalists will play the third-place playoff for the bronze medal.