AHF: First-ever FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2 kicks off with wins for France, Uruguay, and Poland

There were opening-day victories for Poland, France, and Uruguay as the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2 got underway in Walcz, Poland on Monday, while Italy and Wales kicked things off with a draw.

This brand-new tier of the FIH Nations Cup competition provides a structured pathway for developing and emerging teams to eventually climb towards the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Just one promotion spot is available from this tournament to the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2026.

Italy 3 – 3 Wales

Italy and Wales picked up a point apiece in their 3-3 draw in a game of two very different halves.

Wales showed better creativity in their attacking third in a dominant first half. They showed good attacking intent to win a penalty corner in the second minute, but found themselves trailing in the sixth minute when Lola Brea collected a rebound off the pads and chipped neatly over the prone goalkeeper. Wales kept applying pressure, though, and equalised in the 23^rd minute, when Amy Cradden flicked in from a penalty corner variation to the left of the castle. Italy missed two penalty corner opportunities of their own before Beth Peers gave Wales a 2-1 lead with a scrappy goal in the 28^th minute.

The Welsh conceded a soft penalty corner in the 36^th minute for Italy to restore parity, as Guadalupe Moras pounced on the rebound off the first shot. But four minutes later, the Welsh edged their noses in front again when Millie Holme found the backboard from a recycled penalty corner. The Italians found a much higher gear in the final 20 minutes and created plenty of opportunities. Brea levelled the scores in the 50^th minute by reacting fastest to a rebound from a penalty corner, and Italy then had several chances to steal the win, but the final hooter sounded with the scores level.

Lola Brea was named as player of the match for Italy and said: “We are very happy with the game that we did, with how we constructed the game. It wasn’t the result that we hoped for, but we are going to keep fighting to the last game.”

France 3 – 0 Czechia

France dominated large stretches of their tournament opener and could easily have secured a more emphatic victory than their eventual 3-0 win over Czechia. They looked threatening throughout the first half, but simply could not find the back of the net from a flurry of circle penetrations and penalty corners.

The French picked up exactly where they left off at half time, and the inevitable goal finally came in the 34^th minute. Ines Lardeur got the first strike away from the top of the circle after a quickly taken free hit, and the rebound fell to Paola Le Nindre, who fed Yohanna Lhopital for a tap-in at the right post. Mathilde Duffrene added a drag flick six minutes later, and Le Nindre then scored a goal of her own with a penalty corner rebound in the 45^th. Czechia had a couple of botched PC chances in the final quarter, and France finished strongly without adding to the score.

The player of the match went to France’s Paola Le Nindre who said: “Tough game for the first half, and after that we woke up and scored three goals in the third quarter. We are happy about the reaction of the team.”

South Africa 0 – 2 Uruguay

Uruguay weathered an early storm before sealing a comfortable 2-0 win over South Africa.

The South Africans put themselves under pressure by conceding constant turnovers in the opening five minutes, but once they tightened up, they started to look dangerous on attack for the rest of the quarter. They slipped back into bad habits at the start of the second period, however, and Uruguay punished them in the 19^th minute, when Manuela Vilar carried the ball into the circle and leathered it into the net. The Uruguayans went on to dominate play until half time, and Vilar doubled their lead with her 28th-minute drag flick.

The South Americans ran a tight ship in a goalless second half, controlling possession and patiently building phases. By contrast, South Africa made too many unforced errors and couldn’t find the form that had made them so dangerous in the opening quarter.

Uruguay’s Manuela Vilar was named the player of the match and said: “It was a tough game. Also, they were higher in the rankings so it’s really important for us to win these kinds of games, and I think we really train hard to be here, so we are really happy.”

Malaysia 0 – 2 Poland

Hosts Poland survived multiple scares and snatched two late goals as they fought to a 2-0 win over Malaysia.

The home side looked lively as they stepped out to boss the first quarter, but the critical touch was missing around the circle. Malaysia then squandered an early opportunity at the start of the second quarter before the match tightened up significantly. Penalty corners were wasted at both ends as the clock ran down on a goalless first half.

The Malaysians started the third quarter with a sustained period of attack, but solid defence from Poland denied them a clean shot. The Poles gradually gained the ascendancy and almost found the back of the net after intercepting a dismal Malaysian pass to their sweeper. They then missed from a penalty corner, and Malaysia once again ended the period on the front foot with two penalty corners of their own.

Poland survived a torrid start to the final quarter before taking the lead from a penalty corner variation in the 55^th minute. The ball was slipped far to the right of the castle and then directed at Sandra Tatarczuk for an excellent deflection in front of goal. Tatarczuk then put the result beyond doubt with a low drag flick in the final minute.

The player of the match was awarded to Sandra Tatarczuk of Poland, who said: “I’m really very happy that we won the game and we scored two goals. In the beginning, it was a little bit chaotic, but we scored in the last quarter, so I’m really happy.”

To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2, click here.

FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 – 16 June 2025

Walcz, Poland (POL)

Result: Match 1

Italy 3 – 3 Wales

Player of the match: Lola Brea (ITA)

Umpires: Meghan Mclennan (CAN), Ana Ortega (ESP)

Result: Match 2

France 3 – 0 Czechia

Player of the match: Paola Le Nindre (FRA)

Umpires: Jamie Telfer (SCO), Kelly-Anne Foskin (NZL)

Result: Match 3

South Africa 0 – 2 Uruguay

Player of the match: Manuela Vilar (URG)

Umpires: Ilaria Amorosini (ITA), Sarah Craig (IRL)

Result: Match 4

Malaysia 0 – 2 Poland

Player of the match: Sandra Tatarczuk (POL)

Umpires: Rob Argent (IRL), Teresa Lipsky (GER)