For the sport, Kabaddi (Rectangle) in England, there are multiple national governing bodies which field their own respective England National Kabaddi Team. The two main governing bodies are England Kabaddi Association (EKA) and England Kabaddi Union (EKU).

Governance

England Kabaddi Association (EKA)

The England Kabaddi Association (EKA) was established in 2003–2004 by Ashok Das. The England team was affiliated with the International Kabaddi Federation during the 2000s and early 2010s and subsequently with World Kabaddi and World Kabaddi Federation.

In the inaugural 2004 Kabaddi World Cup in Mumbai, the team reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Canada.

The England team also participated in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in India while affiliated with the International Kabaddi Federation.

In 2016, the England Kabaddi Association helped facilitate the participation of England player Philip Mottram in the Pro Kabaddi League, where he was selected by Bengaluru Bulls.From 2022 to 2024, the England Kabaddi Association and the Scottish Kabaddi Association jointly organised the British Kabaddi League. The league featured teams from across England and Scotland and was broadcast on BBC Sport. Birmingham Bulls won the first two seasons, while Glasgow Unicorns won the 2024 season.

The England Kabaddi Association also organises domestic competitions, including the England Nationals 2025 and the England Pro Kabaddi League (EPKL).

In the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup, hosted in England, the team reached the final and won a silver medal, losing to India.

The England Kabaddi Association has participated in European Kabaddi Championships, including tournaments held in Italy and Cyprus.  

Outside Kabaddi (Rectangle), the England Kabaddi Association has also fielded teams in other kabaddi formats, including Circle Kabaddi.

England Kabaddi Union (EKU) The England Kabaddi Union (EKU) was formed in 2019 and is affiliated with the International Kabaddi Federation and EuroKabaddi.

The England Kabaddi Union (EKU) compiled and produced the UK's first standardised set of rules, which were endorsed by the England Kabaddi Federation UK for Rectangle style Kabaddi as the "official rules governing Rectangle Kabaddi in the UK". The rules are not universally used within the UK, with some organisations using their own rulesets.

The EuroKabaddi rules for Rectangle Kabaddi were drafted by Karmanya Singh and Sanjay Patel, the vice-president and president, respectively, of the England Kabaddi Union.

In 2021, the England Kabaddi Union worked with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) of the UK Government to bring back Kabaddi following the COVID-19 pandemic with government-approved Return-To-Play guidance.

The England Kabaddi Union is affiliated with Kabaddi clubs at universities across England including Imperial College London, King's College London, London School of Economics, University of Cambridge, University of Manchester and Warwick University which provide the grassroots system and player pool for England Kabaddi Union’s National Kabaddi Team.

The England Kabaddi Union operates a three-tier referee certification programme and a national coaching certification programme for kabaddi coaches.

In 2023, the England Kabaddi Union entered Felix Li and Yuvraj Pandeya into the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 auction, where both players were acquired by Dabang Delhi KC for INR 13,00,000 each. Both players were part of the team's squad during the season.

The England Kabaddi Union has also partnered with World Kabaddi for running collaborative training sessions across England and Scotland with Kabaddi Scotland.

In 2022, the EKU England team made their debut at the Bangabandhu Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh, losing all three of their matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, finishing in the group stage. In the 2023 tournament, England defeated Poland and Argentina but lost to Bangladesh, Iraq and Nepal, finishing fourth in their group.

In 2026, the England Kabaddi Union led England's participation in the inaugural EuroKabaddi 3v3 Championship, which England won after defeating Poland in the final. England is also scheduled to participate in the EuroKabaddi Beach Kabaddi Championship later in 2026.

Tournament history

World Cup

International Kabaddi Federation World Cup (IKF)OrgYearRankMWDLPFPAPDEKA 2004Quarter-finals4202170208 -38 2007 EKA 2016 Group stage 5 2 0 3 137 155 −18Total 3/3 9 4 0 5 307 363 −56

World Kabaddi Kabaddi World Cup (World Kabaddi)OrgYearRankMWDLPFPAPD 2019 Didn’t ParticipateEKA 2025Runners‑up6501463182+281Total1/26501463182+281

European Tournaments

European Kabaddi Championship (European Kabaddi Federation) European Kabaddi Championship (European Kabaddi Federation)OrgYearRankMWDLPFPAPD 2019 Didn’t ParticipateEKA 2021 Group stage 4 2 0 2 122 95 +27EKA 2023 Champion 4 3 0 1 129 101 +28EKA 2024Runners‑up4301 - - -EKA 2025 Champion - - - - - - -

3V3 (EuroKabaddi) EuroKabaddi 3v3 championships (EuroKabaddi)OrgYearRankMWDLPFPAPDEKU 2026 Champion 5 4 0 1 - - -

Other international tournaments

Bangabandhu Cup Bangabandhu Cup - International Kabaddi TournamentOrgYearRankMWDLPFPAPDEKU 2022 Group stage300367127 -60EKU 2023 Group stage 5 2 0 3 166 213 -47

Squad Selected squads from recent international tournaments:

England Kabaddi Association (EKA)

World Cup 2025 Source: +MenNo Player Role1Amanatpreet SinghRaider3Abhijith KrishnanRaider4 John Dunlop Raider5 Jugraj Singh All‑rounder7 Jorawar Singh Defender8Mandeep SinghLeft Corner9 George Wellington Raider10Ekom SinghRaider11 Sagar Doddaiah Right Corner12 Mashood Koorattante All Rounder14Felix LiLeft Cover22 Hardeep "Harry" Singh (Captain) Right Cover50 Shreyas Annadate Raider64Alex OgdenRaider

+WomenNo Player Role1Imane SibhiRaider2Emma JonesDefender3Athira Sunil (Captain)All rounder4Veerpal KaurRaider5Sophia KlairDefender6Neelima Uni SumaAll rounder7Sally HillDefender8Georgia SargentDefender9Neeraja Uni SumaAll rounder10Pressymol PreniDefender11Simarpreet KaurDefender13Sima PacenkaiteDefender23Manpreet KaurDefender30Piraveena SivanesalinghamRaider

England Kabaddi Union (EKU)

Bangabandhu Cup 2023 Source: +Men Player RoleSomeshwar Kalia (Captain)All RounderKeshav Gupta (Vice Captain)Raider Ahilan Parthipan Defender Akul Purohit Defender Felix Li DefenderMahesh PopatDefender Philip Mottram RaiderShreyas AnnadateRaider Tom Dawtrey All Rounder Vinay Gupta All RounderYuvraj PandeyaDefender Kishan Mistry Coach

Beach Kabaddi 2024 +Men Player RoleGeorge Wellington (Captain)RaiderTaaher KabirAll rounder Haresh Ganenthiran Defender Milan Kaushal Raider Someshwar Kalia All rounderShreyas AnnadateRaider Mahesh Popat Defender

+Women Player RoleHania Hussain (c)DefenderGunalini GunendranDefenderAarna SirohiRaiderMalvika PandeyAll rounderAnisa KhanAll rounderSamreen SabeerRaiderKaavya GuhanDefenderPreeya KaushalRaider

Coaching staff

England Kabaddi Union (EKU) Position Name President (and Head Coach) Sanjay Patel Vice President Karmanya Singh Team Logistics and Operations Manager Kisan Sockalingam

References

External links England Kabaddi Association