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The FIH Hockey World Cup returns to India for the second time in just over four years with Bhubaneswar and Rourkela playing host to the quadrennial extravaganza, which is now a 16-team affair.
The Kalinga Stadium witnessed an immensely successful World Cup competition last time around. This time around, Rourkela's brand new Birsa Munda Stadium will add to the scale of the prestigious hockey event.
The Indian team, who ended up as losing quarterfinalists in Odisha 2018, will be aiming to go the distance in the forthcoming edition of the tournament. This is after they clinched a historic Olympic bronze under the tutelage of coach Graham Reid.
India have been placed in an incredibly tough group for the Hockey World Cup. This group includes Commonwealth Games bronze medalists England, Spain, and a Welsh side that have proven by virtue of recent results that they are no pushovers.
While the group toppers will qualify for the quarterfinals directly, the teams that finish second and third will need to play and win the crossovers in order to get to the last eight.
Which team is most likely to qualify for the quarterfinals from Pool D and what can the crossover-bound sides expect?
Spain - Hockey World Cup silver-medalists 1971, 1998
The Indians begin their campaign against a young Spanish side who are being coached after the Tokyo Olympic Games by Max Caldas.
Caldas guided the Dutch side to a World Cup silver in Bhubaneswar in 2018. He told Sportskeeda ahead of his team's Pro League game against India that he was enjoying his stint in Spain.
The young Spanish side he is currently mentoring didn't disappoint either as they stunned the Indians by a 3-2 margin in their recent FIH Pro League contest. Later though, the hosts managed to salvage a shoot-out win in their second-leg encounter.
Two-time World Cup silver-medalists Spain, who fielded a squad of veterans at the 2018 World Cup, also defeated New Zealand in their first leg game during the course of the FIH Pro League mini-tournament at the Kalinga Stadium. They, however, lost the shootout against the Black Sticks in the second round of games.
Alvaro Iglesias, who manned the midfield with aplomb during the FIH World Cup in 2018, along with striker Enrique Gonzalez, are the most experienced members of the current Red Sticks squad.
Veteran goalkeeper Quico Cortes, who has guarded the Spanish goal for a long time, and was present in Bhubaneswar for the previous edition, is no longer part of the team. As a result, Mario Garin (who was also present during Odisha 2018) will step up as the main custodian.
They are steered along by the 2014 FIH Coach of the Year, Max Caldas, who propelled the Netherlands women's side to the pinnacle of world hockey a decade ago. The Spaniards have the speed and quality to be counted among the best in the business.
After losing out 3-4 in a Hispanic classic against Argentina, Spain were undone by a draw against a French team that stunned the world during Odisha 2018. They also failed to beat New Zealand, leading to early elimination.
The Red Sticks would like nothing more than to make amends during the upcoming edition of the Hockey World Cup.
England - Hockey World Cup silver medalists 1986
The Indians appeared to be coasting to victory against the home team during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as they led 4-1 with less than fifteen minutes left on the clock.
A brace from Nick Bandurak and a stunner from Phil Roper, who beat Krishan Pathak from a near-impossible angle, helped England equalize. The dazed Indians, however, narrowly avoided defeat.
England went on to belt South Africa by a 6-3 margin to bag the bronze medal at the 2022 CWG. Then, Great Britain routed the mighty Netherlands 3-0 in the first leg of their Pro League game last month before winning the shootout against the Dutch just over three weeks ago.
Sam Ward - their leading striker - torments defenders in tandem with Liam Ansell, Phil Roper and now Nick Bandurak. He can prove to be more than a handful for a team now coached by Paul Revington, who has worked with the Malaysians in the past.
The 1986 World Cup silver-medalists will look to erase bitter memories of the 2018 FIH Hockey World Cup. In that tournament, England were thrashed 6-0 by eventual champions Belgium in the semi-finals before enduring a 8-1 drubbing against the Australians in the bronze-medal match.
Wales - Hockey World Cup debutants
Wales qualified for the 2023 World Cup via the European qualifiers by making it all the way to the finals where they defeated 2018 World Cup quarterfinalists France.
Gareth Furlong was one of the leading goal scorers in the world last year with a tally of 22 goals.
The defender, who was a Sports Science student, continues to be the mainstay of the side, which also boasts the likes of Rupert Shipperly, Luke Hawker, and Dale Hutchinson.
The Welsh team for the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup is coached by Daniel Newcombe.
India - Hockey World Cup (Gold medalists 1975, Silver medalists 1973, Bronze medalists 1971)
Graham Reid's Indians seem to have it all, at least on paper. The immense experience of former captain Manpreet Singh, with over 300 international caps, supplemented by the youthful energy and sublime talent of Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh.
Harmanpreet Singh has now gained a reputation for being the finest drag-flicker in the world. Young goalkeeper Krishan Pathak has performed well enough in front of goal to be counted alongside the ever-dependable PR Sreejesh.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, alongside Mandeep Singh, is quite enough to keep the best defenders on their toes. Jarmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar keep their own circle tidy, with the towering presence of Harmanpreet an added benefit.
The Indians are well aware of what they are capable of after bagging bronze in Tokyo. The vociferous home crowd will no doubt inspire them to go the extra mile during the much-awaited Hockey World Cup.
Three teams - India, England, and Spain - are capable of topping the group but the crossover format allows for a bad day in the office. So, the Indians shouldn't be too concerned about advancing to the knockouts.
The second and third-placed teams will cross swords with sides from Pool C during the crossovers. The Netherlands will be expected to top their group while the wily Malaysian Tigers and the New Zealand Black Sticks will also compete for the knockouts along with South American challengers Chile.
