The Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi will host the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup on January 13, 2025. As Kho Kho, a sport with Indian origins, takes center stage on a global scale, this event is a historic occasion for the sport. There will be 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams in the first-ever kho kho competition, which is supported by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

On the fringes of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Kho Kho was showcased among other native Indian sports like Mallakhamb and Kabaddi. At the Kho Kho World Cup 2025, the men’s and women’s competitions will start with group stages and end with eliminations. On January 19, the finals will take place.

The Indian women’s team is in Group A with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea, while the Indian men’s squad is in Group A with Nepal, Peru, Brazil, and Bhutan. Each group’s top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals.

With both men’s and women’s competitions, the tournament will run until January 19 with the goal of establishing Kho Kho as a globally recognized sport. This first championship will feature 39 countries, including host India.

India will play Nepal in the first men’s match after the opening ceremony on January 13. There are five teams in each of the four groups in the men’s competition.

Format of the Men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025
There will be 20 teams competing in the Men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025. There will be a round-robin phase first, followed by knockout matches. Each of the four groupings of teams consists of five teams.

Have a look in Group-wise:

Group                        Teams
Group A                 India, Nepal, Peru, Brazil, Bhutan
Group B                South Africa, Ghana, Argentina, Netherlands, Iran
Group C                Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Korea, United States, Poland
Group D                England, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Kenya

Each team will play one match against every other team in its group during the group stage. The top two teams from each group will move on to the quarterfinals following the group stage. The competition will then proceed in a knockout fashion, with the victorious teams advancing to the semifinals and, eventually, the championship match. Elimination will occur after one knockout stage loss. The first-ever Kho Kho global champions will be the team that advances to the final.

Timing
The Men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 bouts will begin at a number of different times, from 10:00 AM IST to 8:30 PM IST every day. Both the semi-finals and the quarterfinals will take place starting at 05:45 PM IST and 11:45 AM IST, respectively.

At 8:15 PM IST, the championship game will take place. Let’s review the complete schedule, including the times, fixtures, and outcomes of each match.

Except for Group A, which consists of just four teams, the women’s competition is divided into four groups, each of which consists of five teams.
Nineteen teams will compete in the Women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025.

Have a look in Group-wise:
Group                                Teams
Group A                  India, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran
Group B                  England, Australia, Kenya, Netherlands, Uganda
Group C                  Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Bangladesh
Group D                 New Zealand, Poland, Peru, South Africa, Indonesia

Format of the Women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025
After a round-robin round, the Women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 will proceed to knockout competitions. Except for Group A, which has only four teams, the teams are split up into four groups, each of which has five teams.

Each team will play one match against every other team in its group during the group stage. The top two teams from each group will move on to the quarterfinals following the group stage.

The competition will then proceed in a knockout fashion, with the victorious teams advancing to the semifinals and, eventually, the championship match. Elimination will occur after one knockout stage loss.

The first-ever Women’s Kho Kho global champions will be the team that advances to the final.

Timing
Every day, the Women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 bouts will begin at a different time, from 10:00 AM IST to 8:30 PM IST. Starting at 11:45 AM IST, the quarterfinals will take place, and starting at 05:45 PM IST, the semi-finals.

Women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 match schedule, fixtures, results and match times