The 20 best teams will compete at the UKZN Westville Campus Indoor Sports Centre in the South African city with the final due to be held on August 10. 

Competing sides have been split into five groups of four: Pool A features Netherlands, Czech Republic, Catalonia and New Zealand.

Pool B has Chinese Taipei, Australia, Poland and Republic of Ireland, while Pool C contains Belgium, England, Hong Kong and Slovakia.

China, Hungary, Suriname and Macau are in Pool D, while in Pool E are Germany, Portugal, Japan and hosts South Africa.

The top three in each pool, plus the best fourth placed side, qualify for the round of 16, with straight knockouts through to the final and the crowning of the world champion.

The tournament also doubles as a qualifier for the 2021 World Games in Birmingham in the United States: the top eight sides qualify, unless a team finishes in the top 11 and is the highest finishing team from a continent not already having a qualifier, in which case they take the place of the eighth-ranked side.

The Netherlands are the favourites as reigning champions and winners of nine out of the 10 previous IKF World Championships.

Belgium, Chinese Taipei and England - the top four finishers in the 2015 tournament held primarily in Antwerp - will again look to be challenging.

A group of four teams are making their tournament debuts: Ireland, Macau, New Zealand and Suriname.