By Bizodisha Bureau, December 1, 2017: The Hockey World League (HWL) Final on Friday got kicked off at the Kalinga Stadium here.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the tournament, where the best eight teams in the world will battle for supremacy.

The inaugural ceremony began with a laser light show with the ‘Chak De India’ song and crackers in the sky in the presence of the jam-packed spectators.

With Argentina, Australia, Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and hosts India — nations all placed inside the top 10 of the FIH rankings — the is expected to by fiercely competitive.

The winners of the event in Bhubaneswar will also be guaranteed qualification for the Men’s Champions Trophy 2018, which will take place in the Netherlands in June/July.

FIH ranking points are also on offer, assigned to teams depending on their final position in the standings.