FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup Malaysia 2025: One Month to Go!

    15 May, 2025 With just one month remaining, the excitement is building for the third edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup, set to take place from 15 to 21 June 2025 at the National Hockey Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This prestigious tournament offers a golden opportunity for strongest hockey nations outside the FIH Hockey Pro League to compete against each other, with the winner getting the opportunity to gain promotion for the 2025–26 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League. A Global Showdown in Kuala Lumpur The tournament will feature eight formidable teams: France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and Wales. Notably, seven of these teams participated in the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup, underscoring the high caliber of competition expected in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia, hosting the Nations Cup for the first time, is poised to deliver an exceptional event. Subahan bin Kamal, President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, expressed enthusiasm: “We are grateful to FIH for entrusting us to host this amazing event. We believe this tournament will bring the best of world hockey talents to Malaysia” . Tournament Structure and Stakes The Nations Cup serves as a critical pathway for teams aspiring to ascend to the FIH Hockey Pro League. The tournament’s format includes a preliminary round with two pools, followed by classification matches, semi-finals, and the final. The ultimate winner will earn the opportunity to be promoted to the 2025–26 season of the FIH Hockey Pro League. The two pools in Malaysia will be: Pool A: France, Korea, South Africa, Wales Pool B: Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan The action begins on 15 June with all teams in action on opening day as Pool A encounters France vs Korea and South Africa vs. Wales will get us underway. New Zealand will take on Japan in the penultimate match of the opening day before the electric final match of the day that will pit hosts Malaysia against Pakistan! The pool stage matches will be played on 15,16 and 18 June, followed by the classification matches and medal matches on the 20 and 21 June. Since its inception in 2021, the FIH Hockey Nations Cup has been instrumental in providing top-tier competition for teams outside the Pro League. South Africa clinched the inaugural title in 2022, followed by New Zealand’s triumph in 2024. The 2025 edition in Malaysia continues this tradition, offering teams a platform to showcase their prowess on the international stage. Exciting news coming soon about your favourite LIVE HOCKEY streaming platform! Stay tuned for more. As the countdown continues, the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup Malaysia 2025 promises a week of high-intensity hockey, national pride, and the pursuit of excellence. Source: FIH.hockey

    USA building momentum towards LA28 after promising Nations Cup campaigns

      30 Apr, 2025 With the countdown to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 ticking steadily, the USA’s women’s and men’s national hockey teams took important strides earlier this year at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup and FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2, respectively — showcasing emerging talents, building depth, and sharpening their long-term ambitions. At the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup in Santiago, Chile, the USA women’s team, under the guidance of Head Coach David Passmore, gained valuable experience despite a challenging competition where they finished fourth overall, narrowly missing out on a medal following a 2-1 loss to the hosts in the bronze medal match against hosts Chile. For Passmore, however, the tournament was always about more than immediate results. “This was a perfect opportunity to think longer term,” he said during the event. “We have a strong blend — experienced Olympians and exciting young players — and it’s vital to see how they cope under pressure. LA28 is very much a focus already. If you ignore it, it will come back to bite you later.” Passmore emphasized that with Paris 2024 experience and proof of concept, the team could afford to broaden its horizons — managing veteran players carefully while giving rising stars the opportunity to step up. “This is about building the right mental and physical readiness for the challenge of hosting the Games,” he added. One of the young players embracing that mission is Maddie Zimmer, who spoke about the team’s excitement and camaraderie during the Nations Cup campaign. “This is definitely the first step in a long journey towards LA,” Zimmer said. “It’s really special to know we’ll get to share the Olympics with the hockey world on home soil. We’re all motivated, and events like this help us build connections on and off the field.” Zimmer reflected a sentiment shared across the squad — that while the road to LA28 is long, the foundation is being laid now, through every match and every experience. Meanwhile, at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2 in Muscat, Oman, the USA men’s team, led by Head Coach Allan Law, also made important strides, eventually finishing fourth after a strong campaign that included a semi-final appearance, finishing just shy of a podium place, after a shootout loss in the bronze medal match. “Our focus is on building our program, with LA as a real marker,” Law said after the tournament. “But it’s also about sustainability — making sure the USA is consistently competing in the top 15 globally, not just peaking for one Olympics.” Allan noted the resilience the team showed, even when facing defensive challenges from opponents like Egypt, Austria and eventual champions Scotland. “These experiences are part of the learning process. It’s about more than one tournament — it’s about preparing ourselves for the pressures and opportunities of playing at an Olympics on home ground.” With clear ambitions, growing depth, and a united sense of purpose, both the USA men’s and women’s teams are steadily building toward what promises to be a historic moment for American hockey at LA28. Source: FIH.hockey

      JAC 2024 (M/W) – South Africa Crowned Champions of Africa Once Again

        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.

        FIH Junior Hockey World Cup qualifications complete following Junior Africa Cup 2024

          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

          JAC 2024 (M/W) – Kenya U21s fall to Egypt in shootouts, miss out on Junior World Cup spot

            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