India take on Argentina in HWL Final opener

India will take on Argentina in the opening match of the Hockey World League (HWL) Final to be played in Raipur from November 27 to December 6, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced on Wednesday.

India have been grouped with World No.6 Argentina, reigning Olympic champions Germany and reigning HWL champions Netherlands in Pool B while Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Belgium have been placed in Pool A. November 27 will see the hosts play Argentina following which the Netherlands will take on Germany.

After their opener, World No.8 India will take on Germany on November 28 followed by the November 30 game against Netherlands. All teams are assured of the quarter-final spot as it is an eight-team event.

This year's tournament will see a slight change to the previous edition whereby two matches per day will be showcased to maximise the opportunity for spectators to attend games in the evenings. As a result, only one day, November 28 will stage four matches in a day.

The pool matches will take place from November 27 until December 1 followed by the quarter-finals which will be held on December 2 and 3. The semi-finals will take place on December 4 and 5 while the bronze medal game and final will be played on December 6.

Star Sports will broadcast the tournament in India.

This will be the first international hockey event to be staged not only in the newly built Raipur International Hockey Stadium but also in the Chhattisgarh capital.