22 Jun, 2025 At the FIH Nations Cup 2 in Wałcz, while top athletes competed on the field, a dedicated group of young Polish volunteers stood proudly on the sidelines — the Ball Patrol team. Twenty young athletes, some just 10 years old, made an 16-hour round trip in a single day to be part of the tournament. For them, it was a chance to be close to the sport they love, to learn, and to dream of one day playing on that very field. FIH President Tayyab Ikram remarked: “Our sport lives through the dreams of the youth. The commitment and spirit shown by the Ball Patrol team in Wałcz was incredible. They are not only part of the event — they are the future of hockey. We thank them, and we believe in them” Their energy and belief lit up the sidelines — a powerful reminder that the next generation is already stepping forward.

21 Jun, 2025 With final ambitions on the line and pride at stake, semi-final day of the FIH Nations Cup 2 delivered high-stakes drama across all four matches. Uruguay and France emerged as the two title contenders with impressive semi-final victories, while Italy dazzled in a dominant display, and Czechia stunned South Africa in a gritty defensive triumph. As the tournament heads into its final day, the battles for silverware, standings, and satisfaction are all still very much alive. South Africa 0-1 Czechia Czechia booked their spot in the 5th/6th playoff after withstanding a South African onslaught to edge a 1-0 victory in the 5-8 playoff clash. It was a dream start for the Europeans as Linda Nova deflected home from a well-worked penalty corner in just the 7th minute. That proved to be the only goal of the game, but South Africa launched wave after wave of pressure in response. The African champions created several circle entries, but were left frustrated by Czechia’s steely defence, the brilliance of goalkeeper Anna Linkova, and their own lack of finishing finesse. Captain Katerina Lacina was named Player of the Match and shared her delight: “It was definitely a focus that we wanted to play offensive hockey in this game. We succeeded with our early goal and it feels great. We want to push higher so the goal is to finish fifth tomorrow.” Italy 5-0 Malaysia Italy produced a commanding display to sweep past Malaysia and keep their hopes of a fifth-place finish alive with a 5-0 triumph. Maria Lunghi set the tone with a thunderous penalty corner strike in the 15th minute, and from there, the Italians never looked back. Lola Brea doubled the lead with a superb leading run and finish, before turning provider just before half-time with a perfectly squared pass for Antonella Bruni to tap home. Italy maintained the pressure in the second half. Teresa Della Vittoria added a fourth with a clinical penalty corner at the end of the third quarter, and Bruni rounded off the scoring by reacting quickest to a rebound in the final period. Bruni, named Player of the Match, was all smiles after the game: “We did well today, we delivered on our plans superbly and it makes us really happy. This is a much better demonstration of what Italian Hockey is like. We should have done better and made the semi-finals, but now we want to finish as high as possible.” Uruguay 2-1 Wales Uruguay held off a late Welsh fightback to become the first team into the FIH Nations Cup 2025 final, clinching a tense 2-1 victory in the opening semi-final. Wales, hungry for an upset, struck first when Sarah Jones delivered a pinpoint pass for Anja Atkin to finish from close range. But Uruguay equalised six minutes later as Manuela Vilar ripped a drag flick into the back of the net from a penalty corner. The decisive moment came after half-time when Teresa Viana was fouled in the circle, leading to a penalty stroke. Viana calmly slotted it low and hard to put her side ahead. Despite two yellow cards and a flurry of Welsh penalty corners in the closing minutes, Uruguay’s defence stood tall to secure their place in the showpiece. Vilar, again pivotal for her side, said: “We are happy to make the final. It was incredibly tough today and we held on well. We are going to do whatever we can to win the final tomorrow.” France 4-1 Poland France continued their scintillating form at the FIH Nations Cup, storming into the final with a dominant 4-1 victory over hosts Poland. It took just four minutes for France to hit the front, with Yohanna Lhopital calmly converting a penalty stroke after Verzura’s goal-bound shot was illegally stopped on the line. The second quarter brought déjà vu for the home side as a penalty corner struck Chmiel on the line, and this time Eve Verzura stepped up to the spot. She fired high and true to double the French advantage. France’s high press continued to pay dividends as Lhopital and Verzura combined brilliantly to win back possession, surge into the circle, and set up an easy tap-in for Verzura to make it 3-0. Poland finally gave the home fans something to cheer about late on, with a moment of individual brilliance from Amelia Katerla who rifled home a superb goal. But the joy was short-lived as France restored their three-goal cushion almost immediately. Verzura capitalised on some slack Polish defending to complete her hat-trick and cap a commanding performance. Verzura, unsurprisingly named Player of the Match, shared her thoughts:“I didn’t expect this, but I’m delighted with the performance and of course making the final. Uruguay is a team we haven’t played before — I’m looking forward to that challenge tomorrow.” To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2, click here. FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 – 21 June 2025 Walcz, Poland (POL) Result: Match 1 South Africa 0-1 Czechia Player of the match: Katerina Lacina (CZE) Umpires: Yogita Pasi (IND), Ilaria Amorosini (ITA), Result: Match 2 Italy 5-0 Malaysia Player of the match: Antonella Bruni (ITA) Umpires: Sharne Meyers (ZIM), Meghan McLennan(CAN) Result: Match 3 Uruguay 2-1 Wales Player of the match: Manuela Vilar (URU) Umpires: Anna Ortega (ESP), Teresa Lipsky (GER) Result: Match 4 France 4-1 Poland Player of the match: Eve Verzura (FRA) Umpires: Kelly-Anne Foskin (NZL), Rob Argent (IRL) Source: FIH.hockey

21 Jun, 2025 Five first-half goals proved decisive for New Zealand to overwhelm Pakistan in the final of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The dominant Black Sticks added one more goal in the second half to secure a 6-2 victory, and with that, their second consecutive title and the opportunity to step up to the top-tier FIH Hockey Pro League. In the playoff for the bronze medal, it was France who prevailed against Korea in a shootout while Wales beat hosts Malaysia to secure fifth place, and Japan came out on top in the playoff for seventh against former Nations Cup champions South Africa. Pakistan 2 – 6 New Zealand The tone was set early, with New Zealand twice finding the back of the net in the opening minutes, only for both goals to be disallowed. Still, they kept up the pressure and eventually broke through when Scott Cosslett converted a penalty corner to open the scoring. Just as Pakistan began to finally find their rhythm and enjoy some possession, New Zealand struck again, Jonty Elmes setting up Sam Hiha to double their lead. Early in the second quarter, a long pass into the circle found Dylan Thomas, who reacted quickest to a rebound off the keeper to make it 3-0. Sean Findlay then blasted in a fourth after receiving an aerial pass just inside the circle and somehow slotting it in from the sharpest of angles. Just under 10 minutes later, the Black Sticks were at it again when a lifted ball came off the Pakistani goalkeeper, and Scott Boyde was on hand to swat it home, sending the New Zealanders into the half-time break with a commanding 5-0 lead. Left with a mountain to climb in the second half, Pakistan finally got off the mark in the 33rd minute when Moin Shakeel found the back of the net from close range. Suddenly the men in green sparked to life, creating far more chances and looking threatening. But the New Zealand defence stood firm. The Kiwis added one more goal from a penalty corner in the final three minutes of the match, Cosslett’s second successful drag flick, to rub salt in Pakistan’s wounds. Sufyan Khan then found one last consolation for Pakistan off a penalty corner of their own to make the 6-2 scoreline slightly more respectable. New Zealand’s Nic Woods was named player of the match and said: “It’s nice to have one of those games where things just come together and it all clicked today. So I’m very happy that it happened in the final and very happy for our success, and looking forward to what we can accomplish together.” France 3 – 3 Korea (SO: 3-2) France and Korea reignited their rivalry in the bronze medal match, both sides seeking consolation after painful shootout defeats in the semifinals. Fittingly, their battle was once again settled in a shootout, with France emerging victorious to claim third place. The opening quarter was evenly contested until the final seconds, when Louis Haertelmeyer worked his way into the circle and crossed to Benjamin Marqué who fired into the top of the net for a 1-0 French lead. Korea hit back early in the second quarter through a powerful Jihun Yang drag flick from their first penalty corner. With just under five minutes left in the half, a French penalty corner chance went awry, but Viktor Lockwood drove the ball back into the circle with Xavier Esmenjaud’s superb deflection then restoring the lead at 2-1 before the break. France appeared to control much of the third quarter, but with just 28 seconds remaining, Korea earned their second penalty corner of the match. Dohyun Lim maintained their perfect conversion rate, firing home to make it two from two and bring the sides level once again. The Koreans then extended that record with another penalty corner goal from Yang early in the final period to take the lead for the first time. But the French responded immediately with a goal from Corentin Sellier a minute later. The Koreans earned a late penalty corner with under five minutes to go, but this time it did not go their way, and the French held their nerve to clinch the win in the ensuing shootout. Korea’s Dohyun Lim was named player of the match and said: “I am grateful for this award but since we lost the match, I don’t feel that great.” Wales 2 – 1 Malaysia Wales claimed a narrow victory over hosts Malaysia in an entertaining encounter to secure fifth place in the tournament. The first quarter saw action at both ends, with several opportunities in front of goal. It was Malaysia who capitalised in the second period, when Sayed Cholan unleashed a powerful drag flick from a penalty corner that blazed into the bottom left corner, handing the hosts a 1–0 lead. Although Wales enjoyed more possession in the second quarter, the Malaysians looked more threatening on attack. By the third period, Wales had gained control, though. With just over three minutes left in the quarter, Jack Pritchard initially mis-trapped a Welsh penalty corner but recovered quickly, took the ball into the circle, and hammered a shot towards goal. Rhys Bradshaw was perfectly positioned to deflect it in for the equaliser. Wales kept up the momentum in the final quarter, and with just over 10 minutes to play, they struck again from a penalty corner. This time Gareth Furlong fired a low drag flick into the bottom left corner to edge his side 2-1 ahead. The home team launched a late push and thought they had salvaged a dramatic equaliser with just eight seconds left on the clock. However, the goal was ruled out on review, and Wales held on for the win. Daniel Kyriakides of Wales was named player of the match and said: “We were gutted not to make the semi-finals. In our group games, there were crucial little moments that we missed

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20 Jun, 2025 Lausanne, Switzerland – The first day of a new stage of the Nations Cup did not disappoint as the ranking games added an extra element of risk and reward for each team. Dramatic finishes, huge celebrations and impressive goalscoring sent the tournament into tomorrow’s final games on an exciting high. Wales and Japan opened the day’s play in the 5th-8th place play-offs and, not for the first time in the competition, Wales took a strong lead. Unlike the previous games, however, they held onto their advantage to pick up their first win of the tournament and progress to the 5th/6th place play-off. Japan will head into the 7th/8th place play-off to face South Africa, both sides hoping that first win will help them avoid a last-placed finish. Hosts Malaysia bounced back from Wednesday’s disappointment to beat South Africa 4-2 in a convincing performance that puts them into a final game against Wales to battle for 5th place. Pakistan roared back against France in the first semi-final, causing a real upset in beating Les Bleus 3-2 on penalties. Led by the mercurial creative powers of Waheeb Ashraf Rana, Pakistan will be playing for a spot in the FIH Men’s Pro League against New Zealand in the final. The Blacksticks won a penalty shootout of their own, beating Korea despite a strong comeback thanks to the impressive Korean penalty corner battery. The 3rd/4th place play-off will be a repeat of the incredible Day 1 game that finished 6-5 between France and Korea. Wales 6-4 Japan Both sides began the 5th-8th place play-offs searching for their first win. Wales’s Fred Newbold opened the scoring on his reverse in the ninth minute, smartly beating Kisho Kuroda at his near post. Japan responded four minutes into the second quarter with a penalty corner excellently guided between ‘keeper and left-post defender by a diving Ryoma Ooka. Less than a minute later, however, and Wales had a deflection of their own after Joylon Morgan got a stick to Gareth Furlong’s penetrating slap to re-establish the Welsh lead. As the first-half neared its close, Japan won another penalty corner, one that was mis-trapped, passed back and across the circle before Koji Yamasaki volleyed a forehand hit across goal to equalise going into half-time. Two minutes into the second half and the goals started to flow even more freely. Kazumasa Matsumoto’s rifled shot clattered against the backboard to give Japan a lead and, just a few possessions later, Sam Welsh knocked in another Welsh goal to make it 3-3. The goal, coming from Jack Pritchard’s explosive spinning assist, lifted Wales to find the lead again, this time Morgan slicing a reverse bunt over the ‘keeper. Koji Yamasaki was shown a yellow card with a minute left in the third quarter and Wales capitalised, Joylon Morgan getting a bit of fortune for his hat-trick goal as his cross-goal slap pinballed its way over the goalline. The final quarter saw a Gareth Furlong drag-flick and a Kosei Kawabe consolation cancel each other out to leave the score 6-4 and send Wales through to the 5th-6th place play-off with their first win of the tournament. Joylon Morgan’s hat-trick earned him Player of the Match and he celebrated his side’s progression: “[We’re] pretty happy, it was a tough game – we knew Japan were a good team. The most important thing was just to get through, it’s our first win of the tournament so [we’re] very happy.” Malaysia 4-2 South Africa After a gut-wrenching failure to qualify for Malaysia, the host nation came into the game with work to do and fans to recompense. They struck first with a minute left in the first quarter, as Syed Cholan slugged a rapid drag-flick against the backboard from Malaysia’s third penalty corner. Into the second quarter, again with a minute until the end of the period, South Africa quickly turned over a Malaysian counter-attack and sent the ball deep into the hosts’ half. A defensive fumble in the circle fell to Angelo Walstroom who confidently equalised. After gifting an equalising goal to the South Africans, Malaysia took charge of the game in the third quarter as Shafiq Hassan wrestled in a chance created by the scything carry of Chohan and good skill from Abu Kamal Azrai. Hassan created the next one himself, cutting infield and shooting before Akhimullah Anuar bumbled the ball over the line to extend the hosts’ lead. South Africa threatened another comeback in the final quarter as Carlon Mentoor’s firm slap found the bottom corner but Fitri Saari’s ended the scrappy play in the circle by restoring Malaysia’s two-goal lead. South Africa will have to wait for their first win of the tournament but will hope to get it tomorrow against Japan. Player of the Match went to Goalkeeper Hafizzudin Othman for his solid shot-stopping. After receiving the award, he said: “Today [was a] tough match. We worked hard to play for fifth and sixth place.” France 3 (2) – 3 (3) Pakistan France, after a strong showing in the pool stages, faced Pakistan in the first semi-final and the most exciting game of the day. The first quarter remained goalless despite five penalty corners being exchanged, one for Pakistan, four for France. In the second quarter, Xavier Esmenjaud threw himself forward with an outstretched stick to put Les Bleus in the lead, touching in a ball across goal. Early in the second half, France doubled their lead, as the inevitable Victor Charlet converted France’s fifth penalty corner to give France a real boost towards the final. Pakistan roared back into the game, however, overturning France the dominance and control as Waheed Ashraf Rana set up Afraz’s slap shot before both erupted into celebrations that marked the shift in momentum. Sufyan Khan joined the party, letting fly an unsaveable drag-flick into the top left corner and finding parity with the French. A minute later, Muhammad Hammadudin fantastically deflected in Rana’s flat reverse hit to go 3-2 up. Victor

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