India will host the next men’s World Cup. The much delayed host allocation of world cups has come out. Its India for men while The Netherlands and Spain will co-host the women’s, five months before the men’s which will be held in Jan 2023.

India will be the first country to host the World Cup for a record fourth time.

India successfully bid for the 1975 world Cup but due to internal bickerings, the FIH has shifted it to Malaysia. Ironically, India went on to win the title there.

World Cup was allotted to India in 2010 despite the Indian dispensation (Indian Hockey Federation) was lukewarm and even cold-shouldered towards the FIH offer. The allotment was part of Hockey India Project envisioned and executed by the then FIH president Els van Breda Vriesman.

Hockey India then made a strong bid for the 2018 number and got it on good financial returns to FIH.

Now, also it seems the Indian bid was financially stronger compared to other two who stayed in the fray till the end: Double time host Malaysia and fresher but defending champions Belgium.

Now also the financial bonanza the Indian bid carried seems to be the deciding factor if the following observation of the FIH CEO Thierry Weil is any indication.

On the allocation of hosts, the FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “FIH has received excellent bids to host these prestigious events. It was therefore a difficult choice to make. Since the primary mission of FIH is to grow the sport worldwide – which of course requires to make investments -, the income-generation potential of each bid has played an important role in the decision.”