 "Hockey World Cup 2023: Top 5 favourites to win the trophy")
The 15th edition of FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup is set to begin on 13 January with the best teams in the world fighting for the coveted trophy. The prestigious tournament will take place in the Indian cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The final will be played on 29 January. While 16 teams are competing in the world tournament, there are a few teams who have a big history behind them and are seen as the clear favourites for the trophy. Hockey World Cup 2023: All you need to know We take a look at five teams who can clinch the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 trophy. Germany One of the best teams in men’s hockey, the world No 4 side enter the competition as one of the favourites. The European nation already has two titles to its name which came consecutively in 2002 and 2006. They finished fourth in FIH Pro League in the 2021-22 season and are currently third. Germany lost the bronze medal to India in the Tokyo Olympics and in the 2018 edition of the World Cup, they were the quarter-finalists, losing to eventual champions Belgium in the final eight stage. They are placed in Group B with Belgium, South Korea and Japan. India Playing at home, Team India led by Harmanpreet Singh has to be one of the favourites for the trophy. After winning the bronze at the summer Olympics, the expectations from the Indian side have only increased. They won the silver at Commonwealth Games last year.
In 2018, India’s journey came to an end in the quarter-finals but this time the team will be looking to make it to the final at the least. Making their case stronger is India’s third-place finish in the Pro League in the 2021-22 season. They scored 62 goals in the process, the most for any team. India’s only World Cup trophy came in 1975. They are placed in Group D with England, Spain and Wales. Netherlands The Dutch side has three World Cup trophies in its cabinet and that makes them one of the contenders. However, their last trophy came in 1998 when the tournament was hosted in the Netherlands. They came inches close to the trophy in 2018 but lost the final to Belgium in the shootout.
They exited the 2020 Olympics at the quarters stage and haven’t been in great form but it’s difficult to bet against them given their strong performances in the past editions of the World Cup. They can match Pakistan’s record for four World Cup trophies by winning the 2023 edition. The Dutch are in Group C with New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile. Australia World No 1 Kookaburras won their first title in 1986 (England) before clinching the trophy back-to-back in 2010 (New Delhi) and 2014 (The Hague, Netherlands). They were the bronze medal winner at the 2018 edition and also won silver at Tokyo Olympics. Having won the CWG gold last year, Australia will enter the competition as one of the favourites.
They are in Group A with Argentina, France and South Africa. Belgium They won their first trophy in 2018 and also won the gold in Tokyo at the Olympics. The World No 2 team finished second in the FIH Pro League last season behind the Netherlands but given how they have performed at the biggest stages in the last four years, it’s no secret that they are seen as the clear favourites for the trophy. They are placed in Group B with Germany, South Korea and Japan. Read all the Latest News ****, Trending News ****, Cricket News ****, Bollywood News ****, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook ****, Twitter and Instagram ****.