Tickets on sale for first Kabaddi World Cup in UK

Tickets have gone on sale for the first Kabaddi World Cup to be hosted outside of Asia.

Wolverhampton will stage the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. Group stages will be held in the city, as well as in Coventry, Birmingham and Walsall.

West Midlands Growth Company said thousands of fans from across the world had already pre-registered to snag the tickets, which went on sale on Friday at 10:00 GMT.

"When I first had a vision to introduce my much-loved sport to the UK over 20 years ago, I could never have anticipated that this day would come," said Ashok Das, president of World Kabaddi.

"The day where we switch on ticket sales for the first Kabaddi World Cup to take place outside Asia, right here in my home in the West Midlands."

Kabaddi was a demonstration sport at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, and is a staple of the Asian Games, as well as being the fastest-growing sport in South Asia.

It involves teams broken down into raiders and blockers. The aim is for raiders to score points by entering opposition territory, tagging an opponent and making it back to their own half without being tackled to the ground.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, cabinet member for resident services in the city said the event would put Wolverhampton and the region on the map.

"It's exciting to see tickets going on sale for this prestigious event," he said.

"Hosting the Kabaddi World Cup is a tremendous opportunity for the city, and we are incredibly proud to be hosting the finals and semi-finals at Aldersley Stadium," he added.

The event runs from 17 to 23 March, and is set to feature men's and women's teams from across the world including India, Iran and Pakistan.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.