Hockey World Cup: A list of all the winners of the coveted trophy from 1971 till 2018

The 2023 edition of the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup is all set to take place in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29. A total of 16 teams from five confederations will take part in the tournament, which will be held across two stadiums in Odisha - Kalinga Stadium and Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium. Meanwhile, let's take a look at some trivia linked to the Men's Hockey World Cup and the list of the winning teams at the previous editions of the tournament. 

The inaugural edition of the Men's Hockey World Cup was held in Barcelona, Spain in 1971. Pakistan emerged victorious in the competition after defeating hosts Spain 1-0 in the final. As far as India is concerned, the Men in Blue finished runners-up in the second World Cup in 1973 after securing the third spot in the previous edition. India were defeated by the Netherlands in the final of the 1973 World Cup. 

India, however, bounced back stronger in the 1975 edition of the World Cup to win the title after defeating Pakistan 2-1 in the final. This remains India's first and only World Cup win in the history of the FIH tournament. Pakistan, on the other hand, is the most successful team in the competition's history with four title wins to its name. Australia and the Netherlands are joint second-most successful teams with three titles each. 

Germany has won two titles, which came in 2002 and 2006. India and Belgium have won one title each in 1975 and 2018, respectively. Belgium won its maiden title in the 2018 World Cup, which was held in India. 

Men's FIH Hockey World Cup: Results 

Image: olympics.com