South Africa, Wales, Argentina and India registered wins in the first round of classification matches at the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, here on Thursday.With their wins, South Africa, Wales, Argentina and .
India had the home advantage. They had the firepower. Their defence was set. India’s rivals, New Zealand, were ranked six places below them. The Kiwis had struggled so far, and were alive in the tournament only because of the crossover format.
Spain limped into the quarterfinals of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 after beating a fighting Malaysia 4-3 via sudden death shoot-out following a 2-2 draw in regulation time in their Crossover stage match at the Kalinga Stadium, .