The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup got underway with the Indian men’s team defeating Nepal in the opening game in New Delhi on Monday. Led by captain Pratik Waikar and cheered on by the home crowd at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in the national capital, India defeated their neighbours 42-37.
The Indians had wrapped up Nepal’s first three defenders just 60 seconds into the game and surged to a massive 14-point lead with three minutes remaining in Turn 1, having dismissed two batches of Nepal defenders at that point with the hosts’ clinical performance spearheaded by Waikar and Ramji Kashyap.
Sachin Bhargo, who replaced Waikar as India’s ‘Wazir’, would later produce a spectacular skydive to take India’s score to 24 touch points at the break.
India face Brazil in their next match in the men’s section on Tuesday while in the women’s section, the hosts begin their campaign against South Korea.
The India-Nepal clash had been preceded by a spectacular opening ceremony that was attended by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya as well as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president and sprint legend PT Usha along with thousands of spectators.
Vice President Dhankar lit the torch to signify the start of the showpiece event, while the opening ceremony, which began with a sand art projection paying ode to Mother Earth and also had colorful dance performances as well as the unveiling of the World Cup trophy for the men’s and women’s tournament by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI).
“This has been a spectacular start to the tournament. It feels like the entire world is celebrating Kho Kho.
“Today’s momentous occasion will go down in our golden history of sports. I am confident that in future, our own indigenous sports will reach the international level,” Dhankar said at the opening ceremony.
𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐬 🎶
The opening ceremony of #KhoKhoWorldCup 2025 was an electrifying start! 🏆🔥
Check out everything as #TheWorldGoesKho on our website 🔗 https://t.co/fKFdZBc2Hy or download the app 👉… pic.twitter.com/DmL0qWE0hA
— Kho Kho World Cup India 2025 (@Kkwcindia) January 13, 2025
Sports Minister Mandaviya, meanwhile, stated that he hoped to see kho kho being played in the Asian Games in the near future, and even in the Olympics.
“I am proud to have India hosting this wonderful tournament. Kho Kho, which originated from India, is now being played across 50 countries.
“I hope to see Kho Kho being played at the Asian Games and the Olympics soon. I congratulate all the players from the 23 nations and extend my best wishes to everyone involved,” Mandaviya said at the event.
Olympic chief Usha hoped the Kho Kho World Cup would reignite passion for India’s indigenous sports.
“From kho kho’s origins in the rural hinterland to now being played on the global stage, I would like to congratulate the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) for its efforts in turning a dream into reality. I am confident that the Kho Kho World Cup will ignite the passion for India’s indigenous games,” Usha said at the event.
Here’s everything you need to know about the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup:
How many teams are participating in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup?
The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will feature 20 teams in the men’s tournament and 19 in the women’s event, with hosts India featuring in both.
Pakistan were also scheduled to participate in the tournament, facing India in the opening game of the men’s as well as women’s tournaments,
but could not participate due to visa issues. Canada had also been invited to participate, but withdrew due to worsening ties with India.
Here’s a group-wise look at the teams in action in the Kho Kho World Cup:
Men’s tournament:
Group A: India, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Bhutan
Group B: South Africa, Ghana, Argentina, Netherlands, Iran
Group C: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Republic of Korea, United States of America, Poland
Group D: England, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Kenya
Women’s Tournament:
Group A: India, Iran, Malaysia, Republic of Korea
Group B: England, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Netherlands
Group C: Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Bangladesh
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Poland, Peru, Indonesia
What is the format of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup?
The tournament will be played in two phases – the group stage and knockouts. Each team plays the remaining teams from its group once, and the top two sides from a group advance to the quarter-finals, which will then be followed by the semi-finals and the final.
How long will the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup go on for?
The Kho Kho World Cup will be taking place over the course of a week. After getting underway on Monday, 13 January, the group stage will run till Thursday, 16 January. The knockouts will be played between 17 and 19 January, with the final taking place on Sunday, 19 January at 7 pm.
Where will matches in the Kho Kho World Cup be played?
The inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will be played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Where can I watch the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup live?
The tournament will be telecast on Doordarshan Sports as well as on the Star Sports network. Matches will also be streamed live on the Disney+ Hotstar website and application.