Hockey World Cup preview: Netherlands favorites to go through in Group C

The 15th edition of the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup is scheduled to begin on January 13th in India. The Netherlands has been drawn in Group C with Malaysia, New Zealand, and Chile. The Dutch will play their first match on January 14th against Malaysia.

The Netherlands is highly tipped as the favorite to progress from the group. Managed by ex-player Jeroen Delmee the Netherlands will be hoping it is third time lucky this time around as they have lost in the final of the last two editions of the World Cup. They are on a great run of form, winning 12 of their 16 matches in the 2021-22 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League to win the title for the first time.

If the Netherlands were to win, it would be their fourth World Cup trophy. Something which only Pakistan has at this point. Captain Thierry Brinkman and Koen Bijen will be the players to watch as both finished the Pro League as top scorers for the team with seven goals each.

The Dutch face Malaysia in their first match. Malaysia has qualified for three world cups in a row, finishing second in the 2022 Men's Asia cup and losing to South Korea in the final.

This will be Chile's first time at a World Cup in their history, defeating the US in a shootout to qualify. Chile came second in the South American games last October, losing to Argentina in the final.

New Zealand is playing in its seventh successive World Cup. The country's highest finish is seventh, which they have done on four occasions. They have plenty of experience in their ranks, with Blair Tarrant having played over 230 times for the side.

The matches will be played at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, India.