India women's team defeated Nepal women's team in the final match of the first ever 2025 Kho Kho World Cup.[3][4] Indian women defeated South Korea, IR Iran and Malaysia in the group stages, Bangladesh in quarterfinals and later, beat South Africa in semifinals to enter the finals. They defeated Nepal 78-40 in the finals.
The Indian national kho kho teams are sponsored by the Odisha state government for a period of three years from January 2025 to December 2027. Odisha committed Rs 5 crore per year for a total of Rs.15 crore for three years.[5]
It was played under the seven-a-side fast format used for Ultimate Kho Kho.[6] The teams were split into four groups, and there were two stages: the group stage, followed by the knockout stage.[7]
In the group stage of the women's tournament, teams were divided into four groups of five teams each (except in Group A) for the initial round-robin phase, with each team competing against others in their group to determine standings. A total of 36 matches were played in this stage.
In the knockout stage of both men's and women's tournaments, the top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage, including quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final match.
The trophy and mascots for the inaugural edition were unveiled on 3 January 2025 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.[9] The blue trophy is for the men's competition while the green trophy is for the women's.[10]
The event witnessed the participation of 23 countries from six continents, featuring 20 men's and 19 women's teams.[7] Each squad had 15 players, one coach, one manager and international technical officials.[11]
Canada (men's team only) and Pakistan had been due to participate, but the Canadian team pulled out due to worsening Canada–India relations,[12] while the Pakistani team was not granted visas.[13] In total, 35 countries sought to participate, but restrictions were in place to ensure continental balance.[14]
(2025)
