The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations concluded today as South African men and women won 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 against each other in the first round robin stage. South Africa topped the group with three wins and a draw against Kenya, which gave them ten points. Ghana finished second with three wins and a solo loss to table topper South Africa. Kenya finished third with seven points, Nigeria fourth with three and Egypt finished bottom of the table without scoring a single point.
The pool rankings set the stage for the medal matches, with third-placed 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 last quarter goal from Grace Bwire. The gold medal match followed and defending champions South Africa came flying out of the gate, scoring three times 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 a fourth for South Africa as they cruised to a 4-0 win, securing a place at the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026.
South African captain Quanita Bobbs said after the final: “It is always an honor to be African champions. We are a new team and it was a very good tournament for us to start our process towards the World Cup in 2026. We are very happy to have qualified and look forward to growing as a group to be as competitive as possible next year.”
In the men’s competition all six teams played each other in the first round robin stage. South Africa topped the group with four wins and a draw. Egypt equaled South Africa’s points total, with the two teams playing out an entertaining 3–3 draw, but being placed second on the table due to a lesser goal difference. Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana finished third, fourth and fifth in the rankings, with all three teams finishing on six points separated by goal difference. Zambia took the last group position.
The pool rankings set the stage for the medal matches, with third-placed 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 beating Kenya 3-1 thanks to a great turn from James Samaila, who scored a brace in the final quarter to lift his team to the podium. Host country Egypt then took on defending champion South Africa in the final. The visitors made a perfect start, with Mustaphaa Cassiem scoring twice in the opening quarter. Egypt pulled away in the second quarter and put together an exciting second half. However, South Africa took full control of the match in the second half, scoring three times as Mustaphaa Cassiem completed his hat-trick, while Nicolas Spooner and Calvin Davis added a goal each, as South Africa continued their continental dominance by winning gold again at the Africa Cup of Nations, and clinching their place in the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and the Netherlands 2026 to be confirmed. Egypt qualified via their second place for the FIH Hockey World Cup qualifiers to be played in 2026.
Speaking after the win, South African captain Dayaan Cassiem 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 has gone into preparing for this tournament and we look forward to returning home and celebrating this moment.”
World Cup qualification
South Africa become the ninth team to qualify for the Gentlemen FIH Hockey World Championship Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Belgium And The Netherlandsfor hosting the event, achieved 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 for 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 performances 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 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers: 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 FIH Hockey World Championship Belgium and Netherlands 2026. Belgium And The Netherlandsfor hosting the event, achieved 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 for the Eurohockey Championship, New Zealand qualified through the Oceania Cup and China qualified through the Asia Cup. The remaining seven teams will qualify through the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers in 2026.
Based on their performances 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
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