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The 15th FIH Men's Hockey World Cup will begin on January 13, with Argentina and South Africa kicking things off at the Kalinga Stadium. Odisha is set to roll out the red carpet for the quadrennial event for the second time in succession.
We have a lot of strong teams entering the tournament who could clinch the trophy with their solid defence. As we get close to the prestigious World Cup, let's look at the Top 5 contenders to lift the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 trophy. Germany Germany will enter the competition with a squad that is slightly more experienced than the others. They are currently third in the Pro League. They finished fourth the last time. India defeated them for the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2018, they finished fifth. The Germans have a long hockey history, with notable achievements dating back to the previous century. They will compete for a third World Cup trophy under head coach Eric Langner, having previously won it in 2002 and 2006. Players like Christopher Ruhr would be in the rich form right now. Netherlands In the previous two Hockey World Cups, the Dutch team suffered heartbreak. In 2018, they were defeated in a penalty shootout by eventual champions Belgium. The team currently holds the record for the most hockey World Cup final losses (4). They have been the runner-up for the last two World Cups. The Dutch have won the Men's Hockey World Cup three times in their history, but not in the twenty-first century. Under head coach Jeroen Delmee they are among the top contenders to lift the prestigious trophy. India It has been 47 years since India last lifted the hockey World Cup trophy. India, a country with a rich and long hockey history, has only won the Men's World Cup once. It's even more shocking when you consider their most recent top-five finish was in 1994. India won the World Cup in 1975 beating Pakistan 2-1 in the final with Ashok Kumar, the son of wizard Dhyan Chand, scoring the winning goal. The Men in Blue have had a few good recent international outings under coach Graham Reid, with Asia Cup bronze, Tokyo Olympic bronze, Birmingham Commonwealth Silver, and third place in the Pro League to show for it. This will be India's second consecutive edition, and the team's recent success has boosted expectations. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will surely be eager to touted to end India's 47-year-old World Cup medal drought. Belgium Belgium are the defending champions having won the World Cup in the 2018 edition. Belgium won the tournament for the first time, defeating the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties in the final after a 0-0 tie. Belgium earlier announced the 18-strong squad as they aim to bring the trophy back to Brussels. Australia World no. 1-ranked Australia are the toughest contender in the tournament. The three-time World Cup winners have the best winning and goal-scoring records in the tournament's 48-year history. They won 69 of their 92 matches, for a winning percentage of 75. Their average of 3.31 goals per game puts them at the top of the goalscoring chart by a long shot. Australia lifted their maiden title in 1986. They added two more trophies to their cabinet in 2010 and 2014. Their most recent World Cup appearances saw them win convincingly against China (11-0) and England (8-1). They lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals but won the bronze medal with their win over the British. (ANI)
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