FIH Men's Hockey World Cup | India matches sold out, fans dismayed

Starting early in the morning, hockey fans—including women—made a beeline for the ticket counters to get tickets. They were unable to obtain tickets for India's games, though.

"The man at the counter said tickets only for January 13 and 14 matches are available. However, there will be no India match on those two days. We are told tickets for India matches have been sold out (online)," C R Mohapatra, who arrived at the Reserve Police Line Ground close to Gate No. 8 of the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, made the statement.

The website selling tickets indicated that there are no more tickets available for India's matches against Spain, England, and Wales on January 13, 15, and 19, respectively. Not everyone, though, is as dissatisfied as Mohapatra.

Akhila Dash, who bought a ticket for the game between Argentina and South Africa, expressed her happiness at being able to see a World Cup hockey play. The cost of the tickets ranges from Rs 100 to Rs 500. Some attendees arrived at the venue to exchange their electronic ticket for a real one.

The Men's Hockey World Cup will be held for the fifteenth time this year. The mega event will be held in India for the second time; Belgium won the inaugural edition in 2018. 24 of the 44 total matches, including the championship game, will take place in the Kalinga Stadium, with the other matches taking place at the Birsa Munda Stadium.

The largest hockey stadium in the nation, Birsa Munda Stadium, has a capacity of 20,000 spectators, compared to 15,000 at the Bhubaneswar venue, according to reports.