Junior Africa Cup – Final Recap | Windhoek, Namibia South Africa completed a golden campaign at the Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek, as both the U21 Men and Women defeated hosts Namibia to be crowned the Junior African Champions. Having already secured qualification to the FIH Junior World Cup, South Africa’s final victories added the ultimate finishing touch to a superb tournament — with the Men and Women affirming their status as Africa’s finest. Women’s Final: South Africa 5–0 Namibia In the women’s final, South Africa faced a determined Namibian side that proved difficult to break down early on. However, once captain Caylin Maree opened the scoring in the 21st minute, South Africa took control of the match. Ntsopa Mokoena continued her outstanding tournament with a brace, Maree added her second, and Jodie Blows put the finishing touches on a composed 5–0 victory. This triumph marks South Africa’s eighth consecutive Junior Africa Cup title, having won every edition since 1997. Men’s Final: South Africa 5–0 Namibia The South African U21 Men were clinical in the final, producing a powerful display against Namibia to claim back-to-back Junior Africa Cup titles and a sixth title in the past seven editions. Reuben Sendzul opened the scoring early, before tournament top scorer Jaydon Brooker netted twice to give South Africa a 3–0 lead at half-time. Ross Montgomery extended the advantage in the second half, with Viwe Mbata completing the 5–0 win late on. South Africa’s U21 Men end the tournament unbeaten, scoring 41 goals and conceding just 5. Africa’s World Cup Qualifiers Confirmed: Men: South Africa, Namibia, Egypt Women: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe Individual Awards – South African Winners: Dan Dillion: Goalkeeper of the Tournament (Men) Caylin Maree: Top Goal Scorer (Women) Jaydon Brooker: Top Goal Scorer (Men) Ntsopa Mokoena: Player of the Tournament (Women) Jaydon Brooker: Player of the Tournament (Men) South Africa will now prepare for the FIH Junior World Cup, where they will proudly represent Africa — arriving not just as participants, but as continental champions.

25 Apr, 2025 From 18-25 April, the best young teams in Africa competed in the Junior Africa Cup [JAC] 2024 (M/W) with South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe women, along with South Africa, Namibia and Egypt men finishing in the medal positions and securing the the final three spots at the upcoming edition of the men’s and women’s FIH Junior Hockey World Cups 2025. In the women’s competition South Africa dominated the pool stage of the competition, winning all five of their matches comfortably, finishing with 15 points and a goal difference of +38! Namibia finished in second place, winning all their matches except for their final pool stage match against South Africa. Both teams sealed their spots in the final and with it a spot at the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Chile 2025. Zimbabwe and Uganda were placed third and fourth in the pool respectively, setting up a bronze medal match, with the winner taking the final available spot at the upcoming junior world cup. In the bronze medal match on the final day, Zimbabwe dominated Uganda, scoring 6 goals on the trot, until Uganda pulled one back in the final minute, to win out 6-1 and join South Africa and Namibia in qualifying for the World Cup in Chile. Following an edgy start to the final, South Africa scored the first goal of the game midway through the second quarter to take a slender lead into the break. Three goals in the third quarter gave South Africa complete control over the game and a fifth goal in the final quarter finished off the contest 5-0 in favour of South Africa as they won gold and Namibia finished with silver. In the men’s competition it was once again South Africa taking the top spot, winning all five of their matches to register 15 points. Namibia finished in second place, winning four matches to get to 12 points, only dropping points to South Africa in a heavy 8-0 defeat early in the tournament. The two teams qualified for the gold medal match on the final day, and with it secured a spot at the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup India 2025. Egypt and Kenya were placed third and fourth in the pool, and following a 4-4 draw in their pool stage contest, set up an enticing bronze medal shootout to secure the final spot at the upcoming junior world cup. The bronze medal match lived up to the anticipation as once again Egypt and Kenya could not be separated in the regulation time, with shootouts required to decide the final podium finisher. The Egyptian forwards showed nerves of steel to score 4 consecutive attempts in the shootouts and two misses for Kenya meant victory and a spot at the upcoming world cup for Egypt. South Africa were lethal from penalty corners all through the competition and relied on the same to dominate the final, scoring three goals from the set piece in a 5-0 win, securing the gold medal, while Namibia settled for silver. Following the conclusion of the Junior Africa Cup 2024 and the completion of the qualifying process for the FIH Junior World Cups, FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “Congratulations to South Africa (women and men), Namibia (women and men), Zimbabwe (women) and Egypt (men) for clinching the top three spots of the Junior Africa Cup staged in Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek, and therefore qualifying for the 2025 FIH Hockey Junior World Cups that will be played in Chile (women) and India (men) and will, for the first time, involve 24 teams each! Enabling greater accessibility to our events is one of the fundamental principles of the FIH Empowerment and Engagement strategy.” The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 will be played in Chennai and Madurai, India. As hosts India qualified for the competition. Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Austria and Switzerland have qualified from Europe. Argentina, Canada and Chile have qualified from the Americas. Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand secured qualification from Asia. Australia and New Zealand have qualified from Oceania. Following the qualification of South Africa, Namibia and Egypt from Africa, the qualification process for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup India 2025 is now complete. The FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2025 will be played in Santiago, Chile. Chile qualified as the hosts of the competition. Argentina, Uruguay, United States and Canada qualified from the Americas. Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Wales and Scotland qualified from Europe. India, China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia secured qualification from Asia. Australia and New Zealand secured their spot at the event from Oceania. Following the qualification of South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe from Africa, the qualification process for the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2025 is now complete. 📸: Jureck Johannesson (JJ Photo Moments) Source: fih.hockey

Fri 25.04.25 The youngsters put up a brave fight to draw the match in regulation, but could not prevail via shootouts Kenya’s dream of qualifying for the 2025 FIH Junior World Cup came to a heartbreaking end on the final day of the Junior Africa Cup after a dramatic 4-2 post-match shootout loss to Egypt in the third-place playoff at the Davin Trustco Hockey Stadium in Windhoek, Namibia. The high-stakes encounter ended 2-2 in regular time after a tense and evenly balanced match that saw both sides push for a direct qualification to the World Cup. Only the top three teams from the continental event earn World Cup slots, and with South Africa and Namibia already through, Kenya had to win against Egypt to secure the final ticket. The opening quarter was cagey, with neither side able to break the deadlock. But the action picked up in the second quarter when Egypt capitalized on a defensive error. Charles Ashihundu’s mistimed tackle allowed Ahmed Elhadi to slot the ball past Kenya’s goalkeeper Josephat Ondijo in the 23rd minute to give Egypt the lead. Kenya pushed forward in response, with Nirmaan Mudher failing to connect with a well-weighted pass from Mathew Momanyi that could have leveled the score. Goalkeeper Josephat Ondijo, who has been one of Kenya’s standout performers throughout the tournament, pulled off a crucial save against Bassem Mokhtar to keep the deficit at one going into halftime. The third quarter saw increased urgency from the Kenyans, and their efforts were rewarded in the final minute of the period. Vincent Wesonga earned a penalty corner, and Mathias Gulalire’s drag flick struck the body of Egypt’s Mohamed Hosni, resulting in a penalty stroke. Ashihundu converted calmly to level the match at 1-1. The final quarter delivered even more drama. Gulalire had a chance to give Kenya the lead in the 51st minute but missed a penalty corner. Egypt immediately responded with a quick counterattack, and Mohab Hegab flicked past Ondijo to restore their advantage. However, Kenya wasn’t done. Wesonga once again caused trouble in the Egyptian circle, earning another penalty corner, which resulted in a second penalty stroke. Ashihundu stepped up once more and delivered, making it 2-2 and forcing the match into a shootout. Egypt were clinical in the shootouts, with Said Kamal, Mohamed Hassanein, Mohamed Hosni, and Bassem Mokhtar all converting their chances. For Kenya, Ashihundu and Gulalire found the net, but Momanyi missed his attempt and Brian Azeze couldn’t get past Egypt’s Mohamed Geneidy, sealing Kenya’s fate. Source: mozzartsport.co.ke

With South Africa and Namibia already through to the World Cup, Kenya and Egypt will battle it out for the third and final ticket to the FIH Junior World Cup Kenya’s U21 men’s hockey team will face Egypt in a high-stakes 2024 Junior Africa Cup (JAC) playoff match on Friday, 25 April, in Windhoek, Namibia, with the final World Cup qualification slot on the line. Despite a spirited performance on Thursday against African giants South Africa, the Kenyan side succumbed to a 3-1 defeat, finishing fourth in the group standings behind South Africa, Namibia, and Egypt. With South Africa and Namibia already through to the World Cup, Kenya and Egypt will battle it out for the third and final ticket to the FIH Junior World Cup. Kenya opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Zimbabwe before thrilling fans with a 4-4 stalemate against Egypt. A 5-3 loss to hosts Namibia put pressure on the team, but a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Zambia revived their hopes. The team entered yesterday’s match already in the playoff bracket thanks to Egypt’s dramatic 2-1 win over Zimbabwe in stoppage time, which locked the North Africans into third place. In the match against South Africa, Kenya started brightly when Tarankabir Bhamra deflected a pass from Fredrick Ochieng into the net in the 10th minute. South Africa responded quickly, with Carlon Mentoor leveling the score just two minutes later. The match remained deadlocked until the 56th minute when the South Africans found the net again, eventually sealing a 3-1 victory with a late third goal. On the women’s side, Kenya’s campaign came to a close after a 4-1 loss to Zimbabwe dashed their hopes of making the playoffs. The team needed a win to progress or hoped Zambia would beat Uganda, but neither scenario materialized. Uganda edged Zambia 2-1 to clinch the final playoff spot, leaving Kenya outside the top four. Final Day Fixtures – April 25 13:15 – Women’s 3rd/4th Playoff: Zimbabwe vs Uganda 15:30 – Men’s 3rd/4th Playoff: Egypt vs Kenya 17:45 – Women’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia 20:00 – Men’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia

Final Pool Stage Recap | Windhoek, Namibia Both the South African U21 Men and Women’s teams wrapped up the group stages of the Junior Africa Cup with victories to secure a 100% record, setting the stage for Friday’s double-header final against hosts Namibia. While both sides were already assured of qualification to the FIH Junior World Cup, the day’s results ensured momentum and bragging rights heading into the gold medal matches. Women: South Africa 6–1 Namibia With both teams safely through to the World Cup and final, the match between South Africa and Namibia had the feel of a high-quality dress rehearsal. Despite the lighter tension, the South African Women remained focused and clinical. Teshawn de la Rey opened the scoring early, and Olympian Ntsopa Mokoena doubled the lead before half-time. In the third quarter, captain Caylin Maree netted a quick-fire brace, while fellow Olympian Paris-Gail Isaacs extended the advantage to 5–0. Namibia found a breakthrough — the first goal conceded by South Africa all tournament — through Mia Karsten, but fittingly, it was de la Rey who completed the scoring with her second of the day. South Africa head into Friday’s final with 33 goals scored and just one conceded, aiming to defend their African title and head to Chile as continental champions. Men: South Africa 2–1 Kenya The South African Men were given their sternest test of the tournament by a fired-up Kenyan side chasing momentum ahead of their third-place playoff against Egypt — a clash that will decide Africa’s final Junior World Cup berth. Kenya stunned the South Africans with an early goal from Bhamra, putting South Africa behind for the first time in the competition. Carloon Mentoor struck back to level the scores, but what followed was a physical, tactical battle with chances at a premium. With just minutes remaining, Ross Montgomery forced the ball over the line in a crowded circle to seal a dramatic 2–1 victory and protect South Africa’s perfect record. Having achieved their primary goal of World Cup qualification, South Africa now turn their attention to retaining their title as African champions in Friday’s final against the hosts. Friday Finals – All to Play For: Women’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia – 16:25 Men’s Final: South Africa vs Namibia – 19:00 Both matches will be streamed live on the African Hockey YouTube channel, as South Africa looks to cap off a dominant tournament with two gold medals. Source: sahockey.co.za