- The final day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar as Germany was crowned the champions of the world, defeating the defending champions Belgium in a thrilling final, where they 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 the 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 have now ranked third ahead of Australia, who end the tournament ranked fourth.
- This was the third time in the tournament that Germany had won after trailing 0-2 and their mental strength and never-say-die attitude came to the fore again as they denied the Belgians to defend their title. The earlier two matches were against England in the quarterfinals and Australia in the semifinals.
Germany won World Champions at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023
