16 best men’s teams from around the world are converging in Odisha, India As we count down the last few days to the start of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. Each team arrives with the aim of becoming world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honor at the end of the World Cup. The first hurdle for all 16 teams in the event comes in the form of their pool opponents. Winning the pool gives teams a huge advantage, as it qualifies them directly for the quarter-finals, while the second and third placed teams play an additional cross-over round.
Here is a preview for the teams in Pool A:
Argentina
The Rio 2016 Olympic champions are Pan American hockey’s most potent force, having been crowned continental champions on 14 separate occasions. With a flamboyant style and incredible technical ability, Los Leones can match any team on the planet. The team is coached by former Argentina goalkeeper Mariano Ronconi, who will do everything possible to lead his talented group to a maiden Men’s World Cup title.
Agustín Mazzilli, Lucas Villa and team captain Matias Rey – were named Player of the Tournament as their team won the 2022 Men’s Pan American Cup in Santiago, Chile and sealed their tickets for the event – with their Despite being well into his 30s, he remained an outstanding performer. The team posted a remarkable 2-1 victory over reigning Olympic and world champions Belgium in November, a timely reminder that they can match the best in the business. Can Argentina emulate their men’s football team by winning the World Cup on Asian soil?
Australia
The Kookaburras are the most consistently outstanding men’s hockey team of the last 30 years, having remained in the top four of the FIH World Rankings for much of that period. He has won every prize available including the Olympics, World Cup, FIH Hockey Pro League and Oceania Cup titles.
In 2022, the side coached by former striker Colin Batch claimed a sensational seventh Commonwealth Games title, thrashing an extremely talented Indian team 7-0 in the event final in Birmingham. Nathan Ephraims and Jacob Anderson, the latter a traveling reserve for the event, both scored twice with Blake Gowers, Tom Wickham and Flynn Ogilvie also netting in a typically disastrous display from the formidable Aussies. The shoot-out loss to Belgium in the gold medal match at the delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was painful, but it could serve as motivation as the formidable Aussies look for a record-equalling fourth world title.
France
In 2018, France arrived in Bhubaneswar for their first FIH Men’s World Cup for 28 years, their last appearance coming at the 1990 competition in Lahore, Pakistan, where they finished seventh. Joined in the same pool with Rio 2016 Olympic champions Argentina, Spain and New Zealand, many expected them to be on the first plane out of India. However, after a narrow defeat against the Black Sticks, Les Bleus secured a set of results that would see them go through to the World Cup quarter-finals. A draw with higher-ranked Spain was followed by a surprise 5–3 win over Argentina, sealing their place in the knock-out stages of the competition, where they defeated China to set up a last eight meeting with Australia. Although the mighty Kookaburras brought an end to France’s illustrious run, they left the competition with their heads held high, having earned respect from all who saw them in action.
Since then, France – which heads towards the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where they will compete as hosts – has gone from strength to strength. They competed in the 2021-22 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League, registering wins against India, South Africa and Argentina and earning their ticket to the event with a second-place finish at the European Qualification event in Cardiff, which hosts Wales. was won by , The recent fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 event perhaps fell short of expectations, but with the likes of penalty corner ace Victor Charlet and veteran talent Gaspard Baumgarten, France will be a dangerous outfit here in Odisha.
South Africa
After their impressive title win at the recent FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup that earned them a ticket to the next edition of the elite FIH Hockey Pro League, South Africa have every reason to believe they can pull off the big thing here in Odisha . The tournament hosts finished top of the heap on home soil in Potchefstroom, registering wins over Pakistan, France and Korea before claiming a thrilling 4–3 win against Ireland – to whom they had lost earlier in the competition. in the finals. Inspirational 23-year-old captain Dayan Kassim scored twice in the title clash, with younger brother Mustafa netting a penalty stroke won by his older brother.
The outrageously gifted Qasim Bhai may be the poster boy for this insanely exciting new generation, but the team doesn’t depend on him. Striker Tevin Koke is proving himself to be a reliable source of goals, while 33-year-old defender Jethro Eustice brings a steady, experienced head to a group full of youth and talent.
The 15th edition of FIH’s flagship event for men will be played in Odisha, India from 13 to 29 January.
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