The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 to be held from March 17 to 23 in West Midlands, Birmingham, will have the world’s best kabaddi players from the five member continents of World Kabaddi, which comprises Africa, Asia, Oceania, Pan America and Europe. Teams from India, China, Iran and Pakistan, besides home nation teams from England and Scotland, will compete for the World Cup in the seven-day competition that is for the first time hosted outside of Asia.

The real exciting news is four women kabaddi players from Kerala are part of the England team, and one of them – Athira Sunil – is the team’s captain. The other three players are Neelima Unni Suma, Neeraja Unni Suma and Pressymol Preni. Two more players from Kerala – Mashood Koorattante and Abhijith Krishnan Thaivalappil – are part of the England men’s team. All the players got selected from the British Kabaddi League (BKL).

The women’s team coach is Mathew Saju, the first Keralite to play in the England Kabaddi Team and former team captain for two years for European Champions League. Saju has been a resident of England since 2010, and co-owns the Nottingham Royals.

With over 60 matches taking place in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall, and Wolverhampton, West Midlands offers accessibility to over 250 million spectators across Europe. Hosted by World Kabaddi and delivered by the British Kabaddi League (BKL) on behalf of the England Kabaddi Association, the event aims to attract a broad audience through streaming, tourism, and business partnerships. – editor@nrifocus.com