The attention of the entire hockey world will shift to India when the 14th edition of the World Cup kicks-off in Bhubaneswar, on November 28.
16 top teams from around the world will take part in the tournament, starting with pool matches, followed by Cross-Over matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, on December 16.
Hosts India, who are placed in Pool C along with Belgium, South Africa and Canada, won their only World Cup way back in 1975 when they beat Pakistan 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur.
Pakistan are the most successful team in the history of the World Cup, with titles to their credit -- 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994, while Netherlands and Australia have won three titles each and Germany has bagged two titles.
Australia are the reigning World champions, having thrashed Netherlands 6-1 in the title clash of the previous edition of the tournament in 2014.
Check out the complete schedule:
| Date | Pool | Time (IST) | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28 | Pool C | 17:00 | Canada vs Belgium |
| Nov 28 | Pool C | 19:00 | India vs South Africa |
| Nov 29 | Pool A | 17:00 | Argentina vs Spain |
| Nov 29 | Pool A | 19:00 | New Zealand vs France |
| Nov 30 | Pool B | 17:00 | Australia vs Ireland |
| Nov 30 | Pool B | 19:00 | England vs China |
| Dec 1 | Pool D | 17:00 | Netherlands vs Malaysia |
| Dec 1 | Pool D | 19:00 | Germany vs Pakistan |
| Dec 2 | Pool C | 17:00 | Canada vs South Africa |
| Dec 2 | Pool C | 19:00 | India vs Belgium |
| Dec 3 | Pool A | 17:00 | Spain vs France |
| Dec 3 | Pool A | 19:00 | New Zealand vs Argentina |
| Dec 4 | Pool B | 17:00 | England vs Australia |
| Dec 4 | Pool B | 19:00 | Ireland vs China |
| Dec 5 | Pool D | 17:00 | Germany vs Netherlands |
| Dec 5 | Pool D | 19:00 | Malaysia vs Pakistan |
| Dec 6 | Pool A | 17:00 | Spain vs New Zealand |
| Dec 6 | Pool A | 19:00 | Argentina vs France |
| Dec 7 | Pool B | 17:00 | Australia vs China |
| Dec 7 | Pool B | 19:00 | Ireland vs England |
| Dec 8 | Pool C | 17:00 | Belgium vs South Africa |
| Dec 8 | Pool C | 19:00 | Canada vs India |
| Dec 9 | Pool D | 17:00 | Malaysia vs Germany |
| Dec 9 | Pool D | 19:00 | Netherlands vs Pakistan |
| Dec 10 | Cross-over | 16:45 | 2nd Pool A - 3rd Pool B |
| Dec 10 | Cross-over | 19:00 | 2nd Pool B - 3rd Pool A |
| Dec 11 | Cross-over | 16:45 | 2nd Pool C - 3rd Pool D |
| Dec 11 | Cross-over | 19:00 | 2nd Pool D - 3rd Pool C |
| Dec 12 | 1st Quarter-final | 16:45 | 1st Pool A - Winner 26 |
| Dec 12 | 2nd Quarter-final | 19:00 | 1st Pool B - Winner 25 |
| Dec 13 | 3rd Quarter-final | 16:45 | 1st Pool C - Winner 28 |
| Dec 13 | 4th Quarter-final | 19:00 | 1st Pool D - Winner 27 |
| Dec 15 | 1st Semi-final | 16:00 | Winner 29 - Winner 32 |
| Dec 15 | 2nd Semi-final | 18:30 | Winner 30 - Winner 31 |
| Dec 16 | Bronze Medal play-off | 16:30 | Loser 33 - Loser 34 |
| Dec 16 | FINAL | 19:00 | Winner 33 - Winner 34 |
