The draw has taken place as England gears up to become the first country outside Asia to host the world championship in kabaddi, a sport loved by millions of fans.
The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be staged in the West Midlands, and now the English and Scottish men's and women's teams know who their first round opponents are.
Hosted in Wolverhampton, the draw on Thursday set the clock on 100 days to go before the contact sport's tournament takes to the mats.
Kabaddi 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.
The tournament will take place in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Birmingham and Coventry, from 17-23 March.
It 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.
"Kabaddi has a rich heritage and the power to bring nations and communities together to enjoy the game, socialise and unite as a team," said World Kabaddi Federation president Ashok Das.
"The West Midlands is a region that celebrates its cultural diversity and is centrally located in the UK, allowing ease of access to the competition. I expect it will be a brilliant tournament."
England's men have been grouped with Malaysia, Poland and Cameroon while Scotland are set to take on Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Egypt in the 16-team tournament.
In the women's competition, the Scots face world champions India along with Egypt and Kenya, and England take to the mats against Hong Kong, Poland and Tanzania.
The tournament will feature men's and women's teams for only the second time – after the first took place in Malaysia in 2019, when India won both competitions.
Hundreds of millions of TV viewers in Asia will watch the competition and Sally Hill, who is likely to play for England, hopes hosting a global event will boost kabaddi's profile.
"The World Cup will bring a lot of awareness to the sport in England," said Hill, who was involved in two other contact sports – rugby and wrestling – before taking it up.
"It's very prominent in certain countries, but not so much here. It will be great for the city of Wolverhampton, which is now my home town. We've got a pretty good draw."
Former Scotland international Sukhinder Dhillon runs the Glasgow Unicorns team as well as new British champions, Edinburgh Eagles. He will take charge of the Scotland men's team.
"I've got a very strong team ready to perform," said Dhillon.
"We need to show people where Scotland stand on the international stage. Some of the teams coming are amazing. Our aim is to get out of the group. Anything beyond that is a bonus."
For the past three years the British Kabaddi League has been held across Scotland and England.
Birmingham-based Das has been the driving force behind kabaddi’s growing popularity in the UK and, indeed, globally, with World Kabaddi now having more than 50 member countries.
"It is a dream come true to see the Kabaddi World Cup come to the West Midlands," said Das.
"I hope new audiences discover the excitement of kabaddi, but on a personal level it’s a way for me to give something back to my community here.
"I know how much people with South Asian family origins will appreciate seeing part of their culture being brought to the world stage."
The West Midlands Combined Authority, through its official investment, promotion and destination management organisation, the West Midlands Growth Company, will support the event to ensure its impact is felt across the region and the UK.
Men's draw
Group A: England, Malaysia, Poland, Cameroon.
Group B: Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Scotland, Egypt.
Group C: India, China, USA, Tanzania.
Group D: Pakistan, Taiwan, Italy, Kenya.
Women's draw
Group A: England, Hong Kong, Poland, Tanzania.
Group B: India, Egypt, Scotland, Kenya.
Kabaddi World Cup 2025
Watch the final in the British Kabaddi League 2024
West Midlands Growth Company
City of Wolverhampton Council
