The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 is set to begin in England from Monday, marking a historic moment as it will be the first-ever Kabaddi World Cup held outside Asia. Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams will enter the tournament as defending champions, having won their respective titles in the 2019 edition held in Malaysia.
The tournament will take place across four cities in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom—Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. This is the second edition of the Kabaddi World Cup organized by World Kabaddi, which is distinct from the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), the governing body that organizes a separate World Cup.
Men’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025 Format and Groups
The men’s tournament will feature 10 teams, divided into two groups (A & B). Each team will play a single-headed round-robin format, after which the top four teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Group A: Hungary, England, Poland, Germany, USA
Group B: India, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Hong Kong China
India has been placed in Group B, where it will face teams from Italy, Scotland, Wales, and Hong Kong China. The group stage matches will determine the teams advancing to the quarter-finals, leading up to the semi-finals and finals.
Women’s Kabaddi World Cup 2025 Format and Groups
The women’s tournament will consist of six teams, split into two groups (D & E). The competition will begin with a group-stage format, where the top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, scheduled to take place on March 22.
Group D: India, Wales, Poland
Group E: Hong Kong China, Hungary, England
The Indian women’s kabaddi team has been drawn into Group D, where they will compete against Wales and Poland for a place in the semi-finals.
Knockout Stage and Playoffs
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will feature a third-place playoff match for the losing semi-finalists. This will determine the bronze medal winners in each category before the finals take place.
Previous Edition
The first Kabaddi World Cup organized by World Kabaddi was held in Malaysia in 2019. In that edition, India won both the men’s and women’s championships, defeating Iraq (men’s final) and Chinese Taipei (women’s final).
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