AHF: South Africa Women and Men qualify for FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026

The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 came to a conclusion today with South Africa men and women winning the titles to claim the gold medal and qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026!

In the women’s competition all five teams played each other in the first round robin stage. South Africa topped the pool with three wins and a draw against Kenya earning them ten points. Ghana finished second with three wins and a solo loss coming against table toppers South Africa. Kenya finished third with seven points, Nigeria finished fourth with three and Egypt finished bottom of the table without scoring a point.

The pool standings set up the medal matches with third place Kenya taking on Nigeria in the bronze medal match, while South Africa took on Ghana for the top step on the podium and the coveted spot at the upcoming World Cup. Egypt finished the event in fifth place.

The bronze medal match was played first with Kenya winning 1-0 against Nigeria through a final quarter goal by Grace Bwire. The gold medal match followed and the defending champions South Africa came flying out of the gates, scoring thrice in the opening quarter with Jean-Leigh du Toit, Kayla de Waal and Hannah Pearce scoring in a ten minute burst that gave them complete control of the game. Jean-Leigh added a second for her and fourth for South Africa, as they coasted to a 4-0 win, securing a spot at the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026.

South African captain Quanita Bobbs, speaking after the final said: “It’s always an honour to be the African Champion. We are a new team and it was a really good tournament for us to start our process to the World Cup in 2026. We are very happy that we qualified and look forward to growing as a group to be as competitive as we can next year.”

In the men’s competition all six teams played each other in the first round robin stage. South Africa topped the pool with four wins and a draw. Egypt matched South Africa’s points total, with the two teams having played out an entertaining 3-3 draw, but were placed second on the table through an inferior goal difference. Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana were placed third, fourth and fifth on the table, with all three teams finishing on six points, separated by goal difference. Zambia took the final pool position.

The pool standings set up the medal matches with third place Kenya taking on Nigeria in the bronze medal match, while South Africa took on Egypt for the top step on the podium and the coveted spot at the upcoming World Cup.

The bronze medal match was played first with Nigeria getting the better of Kenya 3-1 thanks to a star turn by James Samaila who scored a brace in the final quarter to lift his team to the podium. Hosts Egypt then took on defending champions South Africa in the finals. The visitors made the perfect start with Mustaphaa Cassiem scoring twice in the opening quarter. Egypt pulled on back in the second quarter to set up a thrilling second half. South Africa took complete control of the game in the second half though, scoring thrice as Mustaphaa Cassiem completed his hat-trick, while Nicolas Spooner and Calvin Davis added a goal apiece, as South Africa continued their continental dominance winning yet another gold at the Africa Cup of Nations, and confirming their spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Egypt through their second place finish qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers to be played in 2026.

South African skipper Dayaan Cassiem, speaking after the win, said: “It means a lot to the team and the South African hockey community to win this tournament and qualify for the World Cup. A lot of hard work from the players and coaching staff had gone into the preparation for this tournament and we are looking forward to returning home and celebrating this moment.”

World Cup Qualification

South Africa become the ninth team to qualify for the men’s FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Belgium and Netherlands, on account of being hosts of the event, gained direct qualification. Australia and Spain qualified through the previous two editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League. Argentina secured qualification through the Pan American Cup, Germany qualified from the Eurohockey Championship, New Zealand qualified through the Oceania Cup and India qualified through the Asia Cup. The remaining seven teams will qualify through the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in 2026.

Based on their performance at the Pan American Cup, the EuroHockey Championships, Asia Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations the following men’s teams have qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026: USA, Canada, Chile, France, England, Austria, Poland, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Egypt. The winner of the three-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh will complete the line-up.

South Africa become the ninth team to qualify for the women’s FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Belgium and Netherlands, on account of being hosts of the event, gained direct qualification. Germany and Argentina qualified through the previous two editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League. USA secured qualification through the Pan American Cup, Spain qualified from the Eurohockey Championship, New Zealand qualified through the Oceania Cup and China qualified through the Asia Cup. The remaining seven teams qualifying through the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in 2026.

Based on their performance at the Pan American Cup, EuroHockey Championships, Oceania Cup and Asia Cup the following women’s teams have qualified for the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026: Uruguay, Chile, Canada, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Wales, Scotland, Austria, Switzerland, Australia, India, Japan, Korea and Malaysia.

#HWC2026

Source: FIH.hockey