Champions Belgium arrived in Odisha for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023

Bhubaneswar:6/1/23: As the defending Champions Belgium arrived in Odisha for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela on Friday, there was a definite buzz at the Biju Patnaik International Airport with a large gathering of fans to welcome some of the biggest stars in world hockey. Belgium are placed in Pool B along with Germany, Japan and Korea, and will begin their campaign on January 14th against Korea in Bhubaneswar.

Led by Captain Felix Denayer, the Red Lions are hoping to repeat their performance of the FIH 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup and retain the trophy. If they are able to do so, they will become only the fourth nation after Pakistan (1978, 1982), Germany (2002, 2006), and Australia (2010, 2014) to win two consecutive editions of the Men’s Hockey World Cup.

Speaking on their expectations from the tournament, Denayer said, “We are really well prepared. We have been to a training camp in Spain, where we won all our games. So, there is a lot of confidence in our camp that we will do well in the tournament.”

“But obviously, we know it’s always a really tough competition, so we are really, really excited to get started,” he added.

Denayer further listed out the teams that he believes will pose a tough challenge for his side, and explained why retaining the trophy would not be an easy feat for their team, despite the lengthy preparations for the tournament.

“Well, there are a lot of favorites, I think. Obviously Australia then I think Netherlands, Germany, and India at home are always strong opponents. Then there are teams who are performing well such as England, and Argentina, so I think it will not be an easy competition for anyone, ” he said.