2016 Kabaddi World Cup kicks off in Ahmedabad; 12 nations, 12 teams, 1 grand global title!

Ludhiana, October 6, 2016 - The International Kabaddi Federation today officially kicked off the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in the presence of captains of the 12 competing nations. This is the first time that the 12 captains from across Olympic geographies have gathered in their national jerseys in Ahmedabad, the host city of 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The teams from India, USA, England, Australia, Iran, Poland, Thailand, Bangladesh, South Korea, Japan, Argentina and Kenya made their intentions clear for the ultimate showdown of strength, skill and technique. 2016 Kabaddi World Cup is going to be the biggest Kabaddi extravaganza with representation from all Olympic geographies. All the matches will be held at the brand new state-of-the-art stadium, The Arena by TransStadia in the city.

Commenting on the occasion, Janardan Singh Gehlot, President, International Kabaddi Federation said, “This is the watershed moment for the sport of Kabaddi globally. The International Kabaddi Federation has been working to develop Kabaddi as a competitive discipline. With 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, the sport is all set to breakthrough on a global stage. There is a lot of excitement among all participants and we are sure that the same energy will be transferred to the fans watching it in stands and screens across the world. It gives me immense pleasure to see such diversity in the participation. I am sure the teams will inspire many more people in their countries to take up the sport.”

The 12 captains echoed the same sentiment that participating at an international event of this stature will help garner more following in their countries. 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will be played in a round robin league round format, followed by semi-finals and an exciting final on Oct 22, 2016. The 12 teams will be divided into 2 pools of 6 teams each. The round robin league round format will take narrow down the number of contenders in the next two weeks.

Star Sports will be the official broadcaster of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. All matches will be telecast exclusively on the Star Sports network and Hotstar. Broadcaster and partner Star Sports has packed in cutting-edge graphics, dense camera set-up around the playing area as well as an enhanced sound production system to capture the high-octane action of the tournament. We have a host of international talent who will articulate the sentiment of how the world has embraced Kabaddi. 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will reach out to significant clusters of populations through broadcast in four languages, i.e., English, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. 2016 Kabaddi World Cup will also be broadcasted globally to audience in over 120+ territories.

Hosts India will be facing South Korea on the first match on October 7, opening day of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The fans and supporters of the sport have been eagerly waiting for the tournament to start. 

Participating Countries, Captains & Coaches