Kabaddi World Cup: Black Country venues will be focal point for prestigious world sporting event

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And university and council officials in Wolverhampton are hoping the first world cup tournament of the sport ever to be hosted in the UK and the first to be held outside Asia will leave a lasting legacy in the city.

The tournament is being hosted  as a joint venture between World Kabaddi, the British Kabaddi League, the West Midlands Combined Authority and the four hosting local authorities. of Wolverhampton, Coventry, Birmingham and Walsall.

Sponsored by Paddy Power, it has additional funding of £500,000 from the UK Government’s Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund and an official Higher Education sponsorship from the University of Wolverhampton.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to venues across the region including Wolverhampton City Council's WV Active Aldersley stadium which will host the opening ceremony on Monday morning followed by group games between England and Cameroon (group A, men); England vs Tanzania (group X, women) and Hong Kong China vs Scotland (group B, men). 

The afternoon session at Aldersley will then see four more men's' fixtures and one womens'  with eight more  on Tuesday morning and afternoon. 

Aldersley will also host the semi finals on Saturday March 22 and the third place and grand final on Sunday, March 23.

Games can be seen at The University of Wolverhampton's Walsall Campus on Friday March 21 when four group fixtures and four quarter finals will be held.

Other fixtures on March 19 and 20 will take place at the Coventry Building Society Arena and Nechells Wellbeing Centre in Birmingham.

Professor Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Wolverhampton said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming colleagues from across the borough, country and from around the world to our Walsall Campus for the Kabaddi World Cup.  

“The university were very specific in choosing to partner with world and British Kabaddi given the positive impact and opportunities that the sport can bring to communities, particularly around inclusion and creating a sense of belonging to our campus and cities.

"It also showcases the power of sport on a national and international scale.  We are blessed here with  world leading sports facilities, expert staff and our sports students will be assisting in the delivery of the event taking place at our Walsall Campus.   

“We hope to harness the power of Kabaddi to showcase the outstanding sporting offer here at Wolverhampton that is open to anyone across the world to come and study with us, gain a degree and industry experience that will prepare them for future sporting employment.”   

James Dale, Head of Sport and Physical Activity at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the university and it’s community to experience the first ever Kabaddi World Cup being held outside of Asia and with it comes a great sense of pride and excitement.  

“It promises to be a compelling day of sport at the Walsall Campus. "

Wolverhampton City Council's Cabinet Member for Resident Services Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal added: “We are eagerly anticipating the arrival of men’s and women’s teams from around the globe and are thrilled to host the games in Wolverhampton.

“From hosting the opening ceremony, to the semi-finals and finals at Aldersley Stadium, this is a proud moment for our city.

“This event will highlight Wolverhampton as a premier destination and foster pride among our residents while showcasing our cultural diversity.

“We aim to use the World Cup to introduce kabaddi to more schools, colleges, and universities across the West Midlands, inspiring our young population to be more active.

For more information on timings of games and how to book tickets, go to https://kabaddiworldcup2025.com/