From the opening whistle, the finals were marked by precise formations, quick transitions, and competitive spirit. Kho Kho World Cup results highlight a historic moment in the global journey of the sport, with top nations competing in a dynamic and fast-paced format. Held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the event brought together 20 male and 19 female line-ups from across continents. Throughout the championship, high-intensity action and strategic brilliance defined the matches. The outcomes of the 2025 international tournament mark a significant shift in how the sport is perceived and played globally.
How chasing works
- Both the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and the International Kho Kho Federation have confirmed this exciting event.
- With 39 teams from across the globe competing for glory, this event marks a major milestone in promoting Kho Kho as an internationally recognised sport.
- The first-ever Kho Kho World Cup is set to begin on January 13, 2025, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.
- Played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the concluding matches featured the host nation and Nepal across both divisions.
- The active chaser can only run in one direction — they cannot turn back.
From there, the tournament progresses to the semifinals and finals, ensuring high-stakes competition. Fans can expect nail-biting encounters as teams battle it out for the coveted title. The final match between India and Nepal will exclusively be streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
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The Kho Kho World Cup 2025 will begin with the group stages, followed by knockout rounds, with the finals scheduled for January 19. During the group stage, each team will play one match against every other team in its group. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The female final began with immediate offensive aggression, setting the tone for a dominant performance. In the male final, the early exchanges were balanced, but adjustments in defensive rotations and chase coordination gradually shifted the outcome.
Kho Kho World Cup Final Match Results
To further promote Kho Kho, a large membership drive will be held, aiming to register 50 lakh (5 million) young players before the tournament. This campaign is designed to encourage children and teenagers to take part in Kho Kho and strengthen the sport’s future. In preparation for the World Cup, the KKFI will launch a program to introduce Kho Kho to 200 schools in 10 cities across India. This will help spread the sport at a grassroots level and get more young people involved. All the matches in the Men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 will be hosted at a single venue, Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. India will be looking to secure their first World Cup title in both categories.
Kho Kho has strong grassroots penetration in Indian schools and colleges. Sub-junior, junior, and youth categories are organised at district, state, and national levels. The 35th Sub-Junior National Championship drew teams from across India in 2026.
Numbers that define the sport
This pipeline of young talent feeds both UKK franchises and the national team. This is the format played at national championships, Asian Championships, and the World Cup. From there, the tournament will follow a knockout format, where the winning teams move to the semifinals and then the finals. The Men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 will start with a round-robin stage and then move to knockout matches.
An adapted format where the active chaser does international kho kho tournament not need to run — the game is played with seated participants. Developed to make the sport accessible for players with physical disabilities. Yes, both divisions from the host country remained unbeaten throughout the event and won their respective final matches against Nepal with clear margins. The recognition of Nasreen as the best performer of the final underscored the importance of individual brilliance in team success. It added a personal milestone to what was already a historic moment for the national squad. Kho Kho, along with other indigenous Indian sports like kabaddi and mallakhamb, was first demonstrated at the Berlin 1936 Olympics.
The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) was founded in 1958 in Pune, Maharashtra, and is responsible for managing Kho Kho in India. Recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the federation organizes national tournaments and promotes the sport in schools. The game, which features two teams of nine players each, is known for its fast-paced action and demands quick reflexes. Kho Kho emphasizes gender equality, with both men and women competing at the same level.
The role she played was essential in ensuring the largest margin recorded in the final round of this championship. The last day of the tournament concluded with clear scorelines in both brackets. These results highlighted the ability of the hosts to maintain composure and control, even against strong opponents who had displayed form throughout the tournament.
Kho Kho World Cup 2025: Live streaming, timings and telecast details
In the final round of the female division, Nasreen emerged as the standout athlete with an exceptional performance that elevated the tempo of the match from the very start. Her ability to break through lines and maintain momentum under pressure made her a vital part of the strategy of the squad. The presence of Nasreen was felt across both innings—her attacking runs and alertness during defensive phases ensured continuous scoring and minimal lapses. Strategic planning, swift transitions, and coordinated movement dominated the final rounds. Each team entered the mat with winning momentum, having cleared the semi-finals against South Africa. The event featured a mix of defensive resilience and attacking precision that defined every moment.
The tournament will run for the entire week with the final on Sunday (January 19). This landmark event not only highlights the international appeal of Kho Kho but also celebrates the cultural heritage and athleticism that the sport embodies. With Indira Gandhi Stadium as the venue, spectators can look forward to a thrilling atmosphere of camaraderie and competition. Saino Zachariah is a content producer and editor, with a focus on cricket, AFL, NRL, and Indian sports. His work has appeared in publications such as The Mirror UK & US, Irish Star, and Express where he has covered MLB, football, tennis, and basketball. Starting his journey through fantasy sports, he developed a keen eye for numbers and trends shaping the game’s narrative.
With the host nation securing titles in both brackets, the championship set a high competitive standard and established a clear benchmark for future participants. These victories reflect not only individual talent and the success of structured training programs and strategic development on the national level. The global championship concluded with remarkable action, bringing together 20 male and 19 female line-ups from across continents. Matches took place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, offering an elite indoor setting for a fast-paced format. From the initial group rounds to the knockout stages, each fixture reflected a blend of regional pride and international competitiveness.
- India is hosting the inaugural Commonwealth Kho Kho Championship in March 2026, with 24+ nations expected.
- The event will show how Kho Kho has evolved from being played on dirt fields to modern sports mats, while still keeping its cultural roots intact.
- Coordination, anticipation, and the ability to read the defenders’ movement are everything.
- The Kho Kho World Cup final results concluded with two decisive victories, reinforcing full control by the host country on the international stage.
- In Turn 2, Nepal were not able to match India’s levels but did prevent the home side from going on a single Dream Run.
- The host nation won both titles, defeating Nepal in the final matches of both male and female divisions with dominant performances throughout the entire tournament.
- The host nation stood out with disciplined strategy, quick reflexes, and sustained control over matches.
With 81 total matches played, the outcomes brought clarity to the hierarchy among participating nations. The Kho Kho result from each phase displayed a rising standard of athleticism and global reach. India’s men’s team will compete against heavyweights Nepal to start their campaign on Monday while the women’s team will kick off its season against South Korea on January 14. Below, we have collected all the information you need to know about the tournament in one place. The Kho Kho World Cup 2025 is set to mark a historic milestone in the global journey of India indigenous sport.
The inaugural season attracted 64 million viewers, making it India’s third-most watched non-cricket sports league behind only Pro Kabaddi and the ISL. TheInternational Kho Kho Federation (IKKF) was formally affiliated with the KKFI in 2018 and has since grown membership from 6 countries in 2020 to over 55 by 2025. While both units achieved identical success, the performance metrics reveal slightly higher scoring outputs in the female category. Each unit faced Nepal in the final round, establishing a shared continental rivalry that added further significance to the event.
India won both the men’s and women’s titles, going unbeaten throughout the tournament. Nepal reached both finals — the first time any Nepali team had appeared in a World Cup final in any sport. The Commonwealth Kho Kho Championship is scheduled for 2026, with the sport targeting inclusion in the 2030 Commonwealth Games. With 39 teams from across the globe competing for glory, this event marks a major milestone in promoting Kho Kho as an internationally recognised sport.
India emerged as the champions of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025, clinching both the men’s and women’s Kho Kho World champions titles by defeating Nepal in the finals. The finals of the 2025 edition highlighted how preparation, strategic awareness, and role clarity influence outcomes at the top level. Each adjustment and individual choice played into a larger tactical framework, demonstrating the depth of planning and discipline brought by coaching staff and athletes alike. These margins, especially in the female division, represent a standout achievement in international competition.
