Favourites India have been drawn in the same group with arch rivals Pakistan in the women’s section of the Beach Kabaddi World Cup to be held in Port Dickson, Malaysia from 23-28 September, 2025.
The official draw for the prestigious tournament hosted by the Malaysian Kabaddi Federation (MKF) under the aegis of World Kabaddi was held at the Glory Beach Resort on Saturday night.
The two traditional rivals are in Group C of the competition together with Hong Kong China and the Netherlands.
Hosts Malaysia have been drawn in Group A with Tanzania, Hungary and China while Group B will see teams from Sri Lanka, Kenya, England and Argentina being drawn together.
The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals. Two best third placed teams will join them in the last eight.
Malaysia and Tanzania are likely to finish as the best two teams from Group A while Sri Lanka are favoured to top Group B. It is likely to be a toss-up between Kenya, England and Argentina for the second spot.
While India and Pakistan are favoured to finish ahead of their group rivals, it will be a battle of pride for both regional powerhouses.
In the men’s competition, hosts Malaysia seems to have got a favourable draw, with Hong Kong China, Burundi and Azerbaijan for company in Group B. The Malaysians are likely to advance into the quarter-finals together with Hong Kong China.
Favourites India have been drawn in Group C with Kenya, Argentina, Nepal and the Philippines. India should make it to the quarter-finals with the remaining berth from the group likely to be either Kenya or Argentina.
Pakistan should top Group A which also comprise of Tanzania, USA, Hungary and Afghanistan. It will be a close call between Tanzania and the USA for the second quarter-final spot from the group.
Sri Lanka are likely to top Group D with either England or Canada making the quarter-final cut. The other two teams in the group are Sierra Leone and China.
The Beach Kabaddi World Cup is set to be the biggest ever international kabaddi tournament with 19 men and 12 women teams taking part.
The inaugural championships, managed by Olivereth Pvt Ltd, is also expected to be one of the biggest sports tourism events to be held in the idyllic seaside city of Port Dickson.
State Sports Exco Dato Mustapha Nagoor officiating the Official Draw Ceremony.
