As it happened: Opening ceremony of Hockey World Cup 2018

That's all for the day!

Thanks for joining us.

With glitz and glamour, the opening ceremony has ended but the mega sporting event will start from tomorrow with two big matches, Belgium vs Canada and India vs South Africa.

In this edition, 16 teams, which are drawn into four groups, each containing four teams, will play a total of 36 matches within a span of 18 match days. 

Each team plays each other in its group once. The first-place team in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, while the second and third-placed teams in each group go into the crossover matches. From there on a single-elimination tournament will be played which gives the weaker teams a chance to qualify further.

Click here for latest and exclusive news related to the 14th edition of Men's Hockey World Cup and keep reading the latest happenings in the world of sports only at WION.

Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha is all geared up for the grand opening ceremony of Hockey World Cup 2018. The opening ceremony will carry a central message of "oneness".

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, music composer AR Rahman, and actress Madhuri Dixit are going to be the center of attraction during the much-awaited opening ceremony of the event.

AR Rahman will be performing live, the Hockey World Cup 2018 official song during the ceremony with Shah Rukh Khan accompanying him in the act.

Madhuri Dixit is going to be the lead performer of the ceremony theme song called "Earth Song" in which she will be joined by another 1100 participants. It is with this song that the opening ceremony is slated to begin.

The Odisha government announced that all educational institutions in Bhubaneswar will remain closed for the opening ceremony.

Schools and educational institutions in the capital city will remain closed on Tuesday, while educational institutions across the state will remain closed after 1.30 pm, a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Similarly, all government offices in the state, including those in Bhubaneswar, will function till 1.30 pm, the release added.

The 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup will be the 14th edition of the Hockey World Cup field hockey tournament. It is scheduled to be held from 28 November to 16 December 2018, at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

It is considered as the most important tournament in field hockey after Olympics which is organised after every four years.

The best teams around the world showcase their skills on the field during the World Cup to clinch the coveted trophy.

Till the previous edition, 12 qualifying nations used to participate but according to the new qualification process, which was announced in July 2015 by the International Hockey Federation, now 16 teams can participate.