In pictures: Crowds flock to Wolverhampton for Kabaddi World Cup 2025 final
Crowds flocked to Wolverhampton to watch the final of the Kabaddi World Cup 2025 as it was held outside Asia for the first time in its history.
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Sports men and women from around the globe have travelled to the West Midlands to participate in the international tournament this week, which kicked off at WV Active Aldersley in Wolverhampton on Monday (March 17).
Kabbadi is the second largest sport to be played in South Asia and involves players earning points by crossing into their opponent’s territory and returning safely.
The tournament, hosted by the England Kabaddi Association and delivered by the British Kabaddi League (BKL) with support from by World Kabaddi, saw dozens of matches take place at venues across the region this week including in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Walsall.
But it was back to Wolverhampton for the final on Sunday (March 23), where the men's and women's teams were battling it out for the winning title.
Scotland took home a bronze medal after defeating Wales 67-56 in the third-place playoff.
But it was India's players who went home champions. India's women's team beat England 57-34, whilst India's men's team also won against England, scoring 44-41.
The anticipation and excitement among both the players and spectators at the event was captured by Express & Star photographer, Tim Thursfield:
The World Cup is sponsored by Paddy Power and has additional funding of £500,000 from the UK Government’s Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund as well as an official Higher Education sponsorship from the University of Wolverhampton.
