It’s time for the ultimate final of the highly-anticipated sporting event as two superpowers, Germany and Belgium, are all set to take on each other in IHF Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. Germany and Belgium Hockey teams have faced each other 35 times. Out of those 35 encounters, Belgium won 15, Germany won 13, while seven games ended as draws, including a 2-2 interest they played in the group stage in this ongoing tournament.
The Venue, Date, and Start Time:
- Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, India
- Date: Sunday, January 29, 2023
- Start Time: 7:00 pm IST/ 8:30 PM ET
- TV: OolaTV (anywhere)
Germany and Belgium Hockey Game Preview:
Talking about Belgium first, defending champions & ranked no. 2 side has had a comparatively easier pathway barring a semi-final shoot win against the Netherlands. Belgium first won a medal in the 2007 Euro hockey Nations Cup and had defeated back-to-back World Cups, winning German side before that. With that win, they qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after a huge gap of 32 years.
After that, they won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games. At the 2018 Odisha World Cup, they won a Gold medal and an Olympic Gold the following year, reaching new heights under Shane McLeod, who left the Red Lions. Still, Belgium is continuing its journey under Michel van den Heuvel and is all set to win the World Cup for the second time.
Going the game, they will start the game as favorites. They’ll be relying on their star player, Tom Boon, the top-scorer in the competition with seven goals. That said, Alexander Hendrickx’s knee injury will hurt them, but still, they should go through.
On the other hand, ranked no. 3, undefeated Germany has qualified for the final after 13 years, making few memorable comebacks in the process. They were trailing England by two goals until the 57th minute but made an unforgettable comeback, leveled the score, and won the quarterfinal shootout in fashion. In the semi-final, they knocked out hot favorites Australia by 4-3 with the help of Niklas Wellen’s goal in the final minute and Gonzalo Peillat’s fourth-quarter hat-trick.
Germany will rely on Niklas Wellen, who scored in the final minute of the semi-final and is the second top-scorer of the World Cup with six goals. As mentioned above, they are into the final after 13 years, two-time Hockey World Cup champions, and would like to make another comeback they’re making in the ongoing tournament.
How To Watch Belgium Vs Germany: FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 Live TV Channel:
The 2023 Hockey World Cup will be broadcasted live on Star sports in India. The anywhere national natives will be also able to stream the event live on their mobile phones using the OolaTV website. You can stream any game from anywhere via OolaTV. While hockey fans in the USA have to be contented with NHL, which has been home to ice hockey for the last decade or so. Once you get hold of their subscription, you will be able to watch the game on your mobile phones as well as TV screens. All the cord-cutters using digital streaming services will have to tune into OolaTV to catch all the live action.
Germany vs Belgium Squad List:
Germany Squad: Loic Van Doren (GK), Arthur Van Doren, John-John Dohmen, Florent Van Aubel, Sébastien Docker, Cédric Charlier, Gauthier Boccard, Nicolas De Kerpel, Félix Denayer (C), Vincent Vanasch (GK), Simon Gougnard, Arthur De Sloover, Loïck Luypaert, Antoine Kina, Victor Wegnez, Tom Boon, Tanguy Cosyns, Maxime Van Oost, Thibeau Stockbroekx
Head Coach: Michel van den Heuvel
Belgium Squad: Alexander Stadler (GK), Mathias Müller, Mats Grambusch (C), Lukas Windfeder, Niklas Wellen, Tom Grambusch, Teo Hinrichs, Gonzalo Peillat, Christopher Rühr, Justus Weigand, Marco Miltkau, Martin Zwicker, Hannes Müller, Timur Oruz, Thies Prinz, Moritz Trompertz, Moritz Ludwig, Jean Danneberg(GK), Niklas Bosserhoff, Paul-Philipp Kaufmann
Head coach: André Henning
