Germany were crowned the champions of the world, defeating the defending champions Belgium in a thrilling finals of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Germany went down by 2 goals early in the first quarter but fought their way back again and took the game into a shoot-out, where they held their nerves in the sudden deaths, winning 5-4.
With the win Germany also claimed the top spot in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings.
Earlier in the day Netherlands and Australia went head-to-head in the bronze medal match, where Jeremy Hayward gave them an early lead, but an incredible 3-goal burst in 8 minutes in the third quarter, with captain Thierry Brinkman scoring twice, gave Netherlands the lead that they would take to the end and win the bronze medal.
With the win, followed by Belgium’s loss in the finals, Netherlands move up to the second position in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings, followed by silver medalists Belgium who are now ranked third ahead of Australia, who end the tournament ranked fourth.
World Rankings Update
Following the conclusion of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, there are major movements at the top of the World Rankings in the Men’s Outdoor category.
Germany (2912) who finished as the gold medal winners of the World Cup have moved to the top of the World Rankings. Netherlands (2848) who defeated Australia in the bronze medal match have moved up the rankings and now sit in the second position, followed closely by silver medalists Belgium (2845) who started the finals in the first position! Australia (2792), who were ranked first in the world before the World Cup finish the event in fourth place. In other movements, England (2536) and India (2478) have switched places, with England now in fifth place, followed by India in sixth, with Argentina (2260), Spain (2093), Korea (1942) and New Zealand (1899) rounding out the top-10.
FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela I List of Awards
- Fair Play Award: Team Belgium
- Maximum Team Goals: Netherlands
- Best Team Goal Celebration: Korea
- Fan’s Choice Award: Christopher Rühr (Germany)
- JSP Foundation Best Junior Player of the Tournament: Mustaphaa Cassiem (South Africa)
- Hero Top Scorer: Jeremy Hayward (Australia)
- JSW Best Goalkeeper: Vincent Vanasch (Belgium)
- Best Defender: Jeremy Hayward (Australia)
- Best Midfielder: Victor Wegnez (Belgium)
- Best Forward: Niklas Wellen (Germany)
- Odisha Best Player: Niklas Wellen (Germany)
- Bronze Medal: Team Netherlands
- Silver Medal: Team Belgium
- Gold Medal: Team Germany
