Hockey World Cup 2023 Semifinals: Date, Teams, Timing in IST, TV Channel and Live Streaming Info

Both semi-finals will be held on January 27 in Bhubaneswar.

Teams in Hockey World Cup Semi-Finals

The four top-ranked sides made it to the semifinals of the tournament but with little separating Australia, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium it is difficult to predict which two’s quest for the title will continue after the last four stage matches.

World number one Australia face Germany, ranked fourth in the FIH chart, in the first semifinal. In the Battle of Lowlands, defending champions Belgium take on the Netherlands – the last two edition’s runner-up – in the second semi-final match at the Kalinga Stadium.

Teams’ road to the HWC 2023 Semi-finals

Netherlands:

Of the four teams, world number three and three-time champions Netherlands have had the easiest passage to the semifinals with a 5-1 win over South Korea in their quarterfinal match.

Germany:

Germany, who have won the tournament twice, qualified for the last four for the first time since 2010. The Germans also had the toughest route to the semifinals as they had to play the crossovers after finishing second in their pool. While the other three teams directly qualified for the quarterfinals.

Germany were all but out of the semifinal race after trailing 0-2 till the 58th minute of their quarterfinal match against a brilliant England side but the never-say-die Die Honamas struck twice in the last two minutes through Grambusch brothers to take the game to the penalty shootout, which they won 4-3.

Australia:

Australia, the last edition bronze medallists, may start as slight favourites against Germany but it will be anybody’s game as the Kookaburras have also shown their vulnerability in two of the four matches they have played in this World Cup so far.

The Australians needed a 58th-minute goal from their star penalty corner expert Blake Govers to steal a draw against Argentina in their pool match.

They also trailed 0-2 till just before half-time against Spain in the quarterfinals and had to toil hard to win the match 4-3. The match could have gone to the penalty shootout — where it could have been anybody’s game — but for a costly penalty stroke miss from Spain captain Marc Miralles.

Belgium:

The Red Lions too didn’t have to break much of a sweat in the quarter-final as they defeated New Zealand 2-0 in the quarter-final. Tom Boon (10th minute) and Florent Van Aubel (15th minute) scored for the holders in the first half which was enough for them to secure a win.

Most Team Goals in HWC 2023

Australia have scored the most number of goals from penalty corners with nine coming from the set piece. They have scored 24 goals, second most after the Netherlands (27) with penalty corner experts Jeremy Hayward and Blake Govers in top form.

Highest Goal Scorer in Hockey World Cup 2023

Hayward is currently the highest goal scorer with seven strikes while Govers is joint-third with five. Australia’s physical and attacking play will be matched by the Germans who can also play power games, along with a well-organised defence and counter-attacking hockey.

Playing in their 12 straight semifinals, Australia are looking to make their fifth final appearance in the last six editions and clinch their third title in the last four editions. They finished runners-up in 2002 and 2006, won titles in 2010 and 2014 before winning bronze in the last edition.

Key Players for Germany

German captain Mats Grambusch and his younger brother Tom, as well as Niklas Wellen, who have scored five goals, will be the key players for Germany while they would hope that penalty corner expert Gonzalo Peillat also comes good after scoring just two goals so far.

Australia vs Germany Head to Head

Australia and Germany have met each other five times in the Hockey World Cup. Australia won two matches while lost three times to Germany in the showpiece event. The two teams last met in 2010 WC – which was also held in India – and the Aussies, who were crowned champions, ended up winning by 2-1.

Netherlands

Netherlands would be looking for their third straight final but they will face the toughest test of the tournament in the form of defending champions and reigning Olympic gold medallists Belgium.

The Dutch have not faced much resistance from any opposition, be it in the pool stage where they have easily won all their three matches or in the quarterfinals. The second semifinal will be a contest between the oldest and one of the youngest sides in the tournament.

Belgium vs Netherlands Head to Head

Netherlands have had an upper hand over Belgium in World Cups. The Dutch have defeated their Europen rivals three times in four games in the tournament. Netherlands have scored 17 goals against Belgium while the latter have only scored three times. The biggest win margin for Netherlands against Belgium is 8-1 when 1994 Hockey World Cup.

Belgium vs Netherlands key players

Belgium have 11 players above the age of 30 while the Netherlands have eight players below 25 and just two above 30. The Red Sticks, who have come with almost all the players who have won gold in Tokyo, are among the fittest and no doubt among the most experienced sides.

Netherlands have scored the most goals in the tournament with 27 strikes and Friday’s second semifinal will be a contest between the most attacking side against a team with a top-class attack and defence with the added advantage of winning high-pressure and most crucial games.

Belgium will depend mostly on Tom Boon — the second-highest scorer with six strikes — for goals while Arthur Van Doren and Arthur de Sloover will be the main men in the defence after they lost Alexander Hendrickx due to injury. Captain Felix Denayer and Victor Wegnez will try to control the midfield.

The Dutch, on the other hand, are expected to continue their attacking game with striker Koen Bijen and captain Thierry Brinkman being in great touch with five goals apiece.

Drag Flicker Jip Janssen will be their main penalty corner taker and he is also in good form with five goals from four matches.

When and where to watch HWC 2023 Semi-finals

1st SF: January 27 – Australia vs Germany at 4:30 PM IST

2nd SF: January 27 – Belgium vs Netherlands at 7:00 PM IST

TV Channels: Star Sports Network

Live Streaming: Disney + HotStar and JioCinema

(With PTI inputs)