The Kabaddi World Cup, organised by the World Kabaddi Federation (WKF), is finally happening again. This will be the tournament’s second edition, and England will host it. The first Kabaddi World Cup occurred in 2019 and was hosted in Malaysia.This is supposed to be an annual tournament, but the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WKF decided to award the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup to the West Midlands before finalising the date. This was a strategic move because the region has successfully hosted the British Kabaddi League and the 2022 Commonwealth Games. They have a significant South Asian community.
The president of WKF, Ashok Das, talked about their decision to hold the World Cup in West Midlands:
“We have been working closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council, West Midlands Growth Company, and partners over the last two years to plan the Kabaddi World Cup 2025 and are excited to be now drawing the teams for the competition. The West Midlands was a straightforward choice for us – not just for its great sporting pedigree, but it is a region that celebrates its cultural diversity, engages all its communities, and is centrally located in the UK to allow easy access to the competition from across the country.”
Additionally, the gap between the inaugural and 2025 editions provided time for kabaddi to grow in popularity and for more countries to develop their programs.
2019 World Cup Kabaddi Melaka Recap
Even before the first WKF Kabaddi World Cup happened, it faced a few challenges. Initially, the tournament was scheduled for April 2019; however, they’ve had sponsorship and logistical issues that got pushed to July.
The tournament featured eight men’s and four women’s teams from various countries. India dominated both categories, winning the men’s and women’s titles. In the men’s final, India defeated Iraq with 68-26 scores. India defeated Chinese Taipei (47-29) in the women’s final.
Chinese Taipei secured the second position in both categories, while Malaysia claimed the second spot in the women’s competition. Australia and Hong Kong were notable teams that did well in this tournament.
2025 Kabaddi World Cup
The Kabaddi World Cup is scheduled to run from March 17-23, 2025. While this will be hosted in England, the main administrators are England Kabaddi, Scottish Kabaddi, and the British Kabaddi League.
This time around, more teams will be participating in the tournament. There will be at least 16 teams (men and women) participating in over 60 matches:
- Asia: India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China
- Europe: England, Scotland, Italy, Poland
- Africa: Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Egypt
- Americas: United States of America
The matches will be held in four venues:
- Nechells Wellbeing Centre, Birmingham
- Centre AT7, Coventry
- WV Active Aldersley, Wolverhampton
- Walsall Campus Sports Centre
The title sponsor of this year’s World Cup is Paddy Power. A spokesperson of this popular Irish bookie said, “Kabaddi is chaotic, combative, and absolutely bonkers – in other words, it’s everything that, as a brand, Paddy Power loves about the sport.”
No doubt, more people will be tuning in and looking up kabaddi betting and live scores today for this tournament edition, especially now that more teams will be participating this year.
Why Kabaddi is Worth Watching
Kabaddi is worth a watch if you’re looking for something exciting and different. Imagine a mix of tag and wrestling but with more strategy and teamwork. Each game is like a fast-paced chess match, with players dashing across the court, dodging and tagging each other. It’s intense.
What makes kabaddi cool is how it balances brains and brawn. Players need to be quick on their feet and sharp in their minds. The raids, where one player tries to tag opponents and get back to their side, are super thrilling.
Das also talked about this and said, “Kabaddi has a rich heritage and, above all, has the power to bring nations, communities, and people together to enjoy the game, socialise, and unite as a team. Teamwork is the key to success, and this World Cup has come about as a result of tremendous teamwork between World Kabaddi, the British Kabaddi League, our member nations and associations, and our hosts, the West Midlands and particularly the great city of Wolverhampton.”
Wrap Up
As of today, tickets are not yet for sale for the tournament, so keep checking their official website for the latest updates. No further info has been disclosed on where the matches will be broadcast and streamed.