2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup is scheduled to take place from 13th – 29th January in India at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium & Rourkela’s brand-new Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, we take a look at the history and all-time winners list of the prestigious competition
For the upcoming Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup scheduled in India, the hosts are considered one of the favorites to lift the title owing to their recent form but, they are expected to face stiff competition from teams like Australia, Netherlands, & reigning champion Belgium.
Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup Winners Full List By Year And 2023 Prize Money
It is a matter of great pride for India to be the host country of the Hockey World Cup 2023 in January.
I had the privilege of welcoming the Winners Trophy to Delhi's iconic Dhyanchand Stadium which is the cradle of hockey in the country, along with prominent hockey players. pic.twitter.com/bTKJDb8LG3
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) December 16, 2022
Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup History, Trophy, Format, Number of Teams, & Other Details
Air Marshal Nur Khan of Pakistan is credited with creating the Hockey World Cup, with the inaugural edition taking place at Spanish city Barcelona in 1971. For this tournament, FIH has not imposed any restrictions on the scope of the competition, with the first edition being the smallest World Cup with only ten countries. Later, 1978 World Cup saw representation by 14 countries, while 2002 & 2018 World Cup are considered largest in scope owing to 16 competing nations. However, all remaining World Cup events has seen participation by 12 countries.
Bashir Moojid structured the design of the Hockey World Cup trophy, which was made by the Pakistani Army. This renowned trophy is made of a silver cup with an elaborate flower design, which is surrounded by silver & gold globe of the world, including an ivory inlaid high blade base and replica of Hockey stick & ball at the top. As per this design, the trophy is 650 mm tall with its base attached and weighs approximately 11,560 gram, which is made up of nearly 895 gram gold & 6,815 gram silver alongside many other precious stones.
For each edition of the tournament, format has been same with one qualifying stage taking place before final tournament. In both tournaments. participating teams are split into multiple pools with top-ranked teams qualifying for the knockout stage. The prize money for the 2023 edition in India is not revealed as of now.
Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup All-time Winners & Most Successful Countries
Only six teams have won the title of champion after fourteen tournaments thus far. Pakistan is without a doubt the most successful team, having won the championship four times. Netherlands and Australia are the next-most successful nations in this competition, with three titles each. Germany are the only other team to win multiple titles with two victories in 2002 & 2006 respectively. Meanwhile, India and reigning champions Belgium have won one title each with India’s sole title coming in 1975.
Year | Host | Final Score | Third Place Match | Number of teams | ||||
1971 | Barcelona, Spain | Pakistan | 1–0 | Spain | India | 2–1 | Kenya | 10 |
1973 | Amstelveen, Netherlands | Netherlands | 2–2 (4-2) | India | West Germany | 1–0 | Pakistan | 12 |
1975 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | India | 2–1 | Pakistan | West Germany | 4–0 | Malaysia | 12 |
1978 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Pakistan | 3–2 | Netherlands | Australia | 4–3 | West Germany | 14 |
1982 | Bombay, India | Pakistan | 3–1 | West Germany | Australia | 4–2 | Netherlands | 12 |
1986 | London, England | Australia | 2–1 | England | West Germany | 3–2 | Soviet Union | 12 |
1990 | Lahore, Pakistan | Netherlands | 3–1 | Pakistan | Australia | 2–1 | West Germany | 12 |
1994 | Sydney, Australia | Pakistan | 1–1 (4-3) | Netherlands | Australia | 5–2 | Germany | 12 |
1998 | Utrecht, Netherlands | Netherlands | 3–2 | Spain | Germany | 1–0 | Australia | 12 |
2002 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Germany | 2–1 | Australia | Netherlands | 2–1 | South Korea | 16 |
2006 | Mönchengladbach, Germany | Germany | 4–3 | Australia | Spain | 3–2 | South Korea | 12 |
2010 | New Delhi, India | Australia | 2–1 | Germany | Netherlands | 4–3 | England | 12 |
2014 | The Hague, Netherlands | Australia | 6–1 | Netherlands | Argentina | 2–0 | England | 12 |
2018 | Bhubaneswar, India | Belgium | 0–0 (3-2) | Netherlands | Australia | 8–1 | England | 16 |