With the start of Kabaddi World Cup less than two weeks away, the University of Wolverhampton is all set to host fixtures as part of the tournament.
The West Midlands will be hosting the sport’s leading global tournament, between 17 March – 23 March, with fixtures to take place at the University’s Walsall Campus on 21 March.
The Campus will host women’s group games, including England vs Hong Kong and India vs Egypt, as well as the men’s quarter-finals. The University of Wolverhampton is also the exclusive Higher Education partner for the Kabaddi World Cup.
This month’s World Cup is the first time the competition will be hosted outside of Asia. The region will welcome the world’s best Kabaddi players from men’s and women’s teams from across the five member continents of World Kabaddi, including Africa, Asia, Oceania, Pan America and Europe.
The contact sport sees teams broken down into raiders and blockers, with the aim of scoring points by entering opposition territory, tagging an opponent and making it back into their own half without being tackled to the ground.
Looking ahead to the tournament, Professor Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University, said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming colleagues from across the borough, country and from around the world to our Walsall Campus for the Kabaddi World Cup.
“The University were very specific in choosing to partner with World and British Kabaddi given the positive impact and opportunities that kabaddi can bring to communities, particularly around inclusion and creating a sense of belonging to our campus and cities, while also showcasing the power of sport on a national and international scale.
“This is further evidenced through our School of Sport which produces impactful sports research which is recognised on a global scale. The School of Sport is blessed with world leading sports facilities, expert staff and provides opportunities for students to undertake industry level placements alongside their studies – which will be the case for the World Cup in 2025 as our sports students will be assisting in the delivery of the event taking place at our Walsall Campus.
“We hope to harness the power of Kabaddi to showcase the outstanding sporting offer here at Wolverhampton that is open to anyone across the world to come and study with us, gain a degree and industry experience that will prepare them for future sporting employment.”
James Dale, Head of Sport and Physical Activity at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the University and it’s community to experience the first ever Kabaddi World Cup being held outside of Asia and with it comes a great sense of pride and excitement.
“It promises to be a compelling day of sport at the Walsall Campus. What’s more impressive is that we will have students supporting with the delivery across several areas including organising and managing key personnel, ensuring the events run to schedule and providing holistic sports therapy services to competitors – continuing our strategy to enhance student experience through learning and real-world experiences.”
Visit the Kabaddi World Cup at kabaddiworldcup2025.com to buy your tickets.
