WV Active Aldersley staged the opening ceremony and first games of the tournament today (Monday 17 March, 2025).
The opening ceremony featured live music by students from Wolverhampton Music Service, local dance acts and a parade of athlete from across the world who are taking part.
The host nation England men’s team then got the live action underway with the first group stage game against Hungary. A number of other men’s and women’s games then took place featuring teams including India, Poland, China and the USA.
It’s the first time that the Kabaddi World Cup has been hosted outside of Asia and Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Resident Services, said it was a very proud moment for the city of Wolverhampton to host the festivities.
He said: “The ceremony and opening games were spectacular to witness. It’s a real honour to have the Kabaddi World Cup taking place on our doorstep and we can’t wait to host the semi-finals and finals this weekend.
“It’s exciting to welcome fans not just from Wolverhampton but from far and wide to our city, as well as the millions tuning in online to watch the action. This is a global celebration of sport and cultures and we’re proud to be the home for it.”
Wolverhampton is also hosting day two of the tournament tomorrow (Tuesday) before the action takes to the road with games being hosted in Coventry, Birmingham and Walsall. The tournament then returns to Wolverhampton on Saturday for the semi-finals and Sunday for the finals, third place play-off and closing ceremony.
Councillor Gakhal added: “Events of this scale help support the local economy and help put the city on the map, so I encourage everyone to snap up the final remaining tickets while they can.”
Tickets are still available for this week and information on how to purchase can be found at Kabaddi World Cup England 2025.