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India will look to end their 47-year trophy drought when the country hosts the 2023 Hockey World Cup. The global tournament will feature 16 teams competing for the prestigious title across 44 matches. The competition will be staged in Odisha in two cities - Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela. India last won the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1975. The tournament will commence on January 13 and the final is scheduled to be played on January 29.
All 44 matches will be played across two stadiums and we take a closer look at two terrific stadiums that will host the 2023 Hockey World Cup matches.
Kalinga Stadium
Opened in 1978, Kalinga is an old stadium located in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. It is since 2017 that the dominance of modern hockey is reflected perfectly by Kalinga Stadium. The blue turf of Kalinga is quite spectacular and it was this stadium that hosted all the matches of the 2018 Hockey World Cup. The audience capacity of Kalinga Stadium is around 16,000. Other than hosting hockey matches, Kalinga Stadium has also hosted sports such as football, tennis, rugby and athletics. A total of 29 tournaments have been played at the Kalinga Stadium. Out of the 44 matches scheduled to be played during the 2023 Hockey World Cup, Kalinga Stadium will host 24 matches.
Birsa Munda Stadium
Ahead of the 2023 Hockey World Cup, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the country's largest newly constructed Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela on January 05. The government spent around Rs 146 crore on the stadium's construction and its audience capacity is about 20,000, which makes it the largest hockey stadium in the country. This stadium will get a new identity from the 2023 Hockey World Cup and it will host 20 out of 44 matches of this tournament. The Indian hockey team will play its first match against Spain on January 13 at the Birsa Munda Stadium. Two days later, Harmanpreet Singh & Co. will face England on the same ground.
