Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 - 3 strongest contenders who can win the tournament

All hockey teams are gearing up for the 15th edition of the Hockey World Cup. The tournament will begin on 13 January 2023. It will run until 29 January in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The tournament will happen in two different stadiums. Belgium are coming to this tournament as the defending champions of the previous edition.

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Team India will look to do well in this tournament as the host. In the last edition, they lost against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals by two goals to one. However, there are several teams who have announced strong squads for the tournament. So, those teams can win the tournament this year.  

Here are the three top teams who can win the Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023:

Australia

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Australia (Image Source: Twitter)

The Kookaburras are one of the frontrunners to lift the Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023. In the last edition of the World Cup, Australia finished in third place. They thrashed England 8–1 in the third-place playoff. However, they are currently the number-one-ranked team in the world. They are also coming after defeating India 4-1 in the five-match Test series.

Australia have won three World Cups so far in their history. They won the title last time in 2014. So, they will look to win it for the fourth time this year. Australia are in Pool A with South Africa, Argentina, and France. Australia will open their campaign against France on the 13 January at the Kalinga Stadium.      

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Belgium

Belgium (Image Source: Twitter)

This team will look to win the World Cup once again this time around in India. Belgium are coming to this tournament as the defending World Champion. They defeated the Netherlands 3–2 in the final on a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw in 2018. Currently, the Red Lions are the second-ranked team in the world after the Aussies.

It was Belgium’s first World Cup title in their history of Hockey. So, they will look to defend the title once again in 2023. Belgium are in Pool B with Germany, South Korea, and Japan. They will face South Korea on 14 January at the Kalinga Stadium in their tournament opener. The fixture against Germany will be a test for van den Heuvel’s team.

Netherlands

Netherlands (Image Source: Twitter)

The Oranje are another contender to win the World Cup this year in India. In the 2018 World Cup, they finished as the runners-up. Belgium defeated them 3–2 in the final on a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw. Currently, they are the third-ranked team in the world behind the Kookaburras and Red Lions.

As of now, they have won three World Cups so far in their history. They won the title last time way back in 1998. The Netherlands are in Pool C with New Zealand, Malaysia, and Chile. They will face Chile in their tournament opener on 14 January at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela.