Lausanne, Switzerland: The Netherlands and Malaysia prevailed in their quarter-final and semi-final matches on the third day of action in Oman on Tuesday to set up a tantalising final to crown the first ever men’s FIH Hockey5s world champions.

The Netherlands defeated India in the last-eight playoff and then Oman in their semi-final to book their passage into the final.

Meanwhile, Malaysia overcame Trinidad and Tobago and then a spirited Poland to make their way through to the gold-medal match.

That leaves Oman and Poland to battle it out for bronze.

Meanwhile, in the Challenger Trophy, contested by the teams that didn’t make it through to the quarter-finals, Pakistan will come up against Switzerland for the spoils.

This is how the third day’s action unfolded…

The Netherlands finally ended Oman’s fantastic run in the hosts’ first ever FIH World Cup with a relatively comfortable 5-3 win in the first semi-final of the day. The Dutch dictated matters in the first half and built up a 3-0 lead before the break. Oman fought back well to win the second half, but the Netherlands used all their experience to control possession and dictate the pace. The Dutch are deserved finalists, while Oman can approach the bronze medal match with their heads held very high.

Netherlands captain Imre Vos speaking after the win said, “Feels amazing to be in the finals. It has been a great tournament so far with fantastic opponents, and we have had to stay alert the whole game. Each time we lost focus a little bit throughout the tournament, opponents have punished us, so it has been tough, but very happy to have reached the finals despite that.”

 

Malaysia survived a late onslaught from Poland to win the second semi-final 4-3. Both teams played a tight, disciplined first half and the scores were locked at 1-1 at half-time. Malaysia went ahead just after half-time with a long range shot, and then added two more to lead 4-1 with six minutes to play. Poland staged a comeback, scoring twice in the late stages before missing a challenge opportunity as the clock ran down. 

Malaysia captain, Akhimullah Anuar, who got on the scoresheet twice in the semi-final, speaking after the match said: “I have to give credit to the team. We have sacrificed a lot to get here. We did not start the tournament in the best way, with the draw against Oman, but since then have improved every game to get this far.”

Meanwhile, in the playoffs for 5th – 8th place India had a comfortable 9-4 win over Kenya, India’s Utam Singh and Kenya’s Moses Ademba bagging hat-tricks, while Egypt’s Hossameldin Ragab scored a hat-trick in his side’s 8-5 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.

Earlier in the day in the quarter-finals, the Netherlands came from behind three times in a 7-4 win over India. It was three goals in the three minutes before the break that eventually gave the Dutch a 5-3 lead, and even a hat-trick from Mohammed Raheel’s wasn’t enough to get India back into the game.

Hosts Oman absorbed all the early pressure from Kenya and then took full control for a 5-2 win, Khalid Al Shaaibi contributing a hat-trick and helping his team to the semi-finals in their first ever FIH World Cup.

Poland squeaked home 2-1 in a thrilling encounter with Egypt. Goalkeepers Maciej Pacanowski and Mohamed Hemid delivered excellent performances, and with the scores locked at 1-1 going into a frantic final minute, they were both called on to make desperate saves. Poland clinched the match from a challenge with time up on the clock.

Malaysia trailed three times in their 5-4 victory over Trinidad and Tobago before building a 5-3 lead after a strong start to the second half. Trinidad and Tobago came back hard in the final minute, scoring once and being denied an equaliser by an excellent Shahrul Saupi save with 30 seconds remaining.

 

In the playoffs for 9th to 12th position, where the teams are vying for the newly introduced Challenger Trophy, Pakistan’s Rana Waheed bagged five goals as his side unravelled Australia 11-3. Switzerland scored two very late goals against New Zealand, with Elias Brönnimann completing his hat-trick in the 29th minute to level the scores and then scoring another in the shootout where the Swiss prevailed 2-1.

In the 13th-16th place playoffs, the USA completely dominated Jamaica in a comfortable 8-1 win. Nigeria came back from two goals down against Fiji, Dennis Solomon equalising in the final minute to complete his hat-trick, and then edged them out 2-1 in the shootout.

FIH Hockey5s World Cup, Oman – 30 January 

 

Result: Match 29 (M)

Netherlands 7 – 4 India

 

Result: Match 30 (M)

Oman 5 – 2 Kenya

 

Result: Match 31 (M)

Egypt 1 – 2 Poland

 

Result: Match 32 (M)

Trinidad and Tobago 4 – 5 Malaysia

 

Result: Match 33 (M)

Jamaica 1 – 8 USA

 

Result: Match 34 (M)

Nigeria 5 – 5 Fiji (SO: 2-1)

 

Result: Match 35 (M)

Pakistan 11 – 3 Australia

 

Result: Match 36 (M)

Switzerland 7 – 7 New Zealand (SO: 2-1)

 

Result: Match 37 (M)

India 9 – 4 Kenya

 

Result: Match 38 (M)

Egypt 8 – 5 Trinidad and Tobago

 

Result: Match 39 (M)

Netherlands 5 – 3 Oman

 

Result: Match 40 (M)

Poland 3 – 4 Malaysia

Lausanne, Switzerland: When the FIH Hockey5s World Cup was first proposed and accepted at the FIH Executive Board meeting in 2019, the purpose of the tournament was laid down as a tournament to “boost the development of hockey globally through the promotion of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup.” 

Today, as we stand on the cusp of the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 beginning tomorrow, 24 January, a big stride towards achieving the aim of creating the World Cup has already been made, as the event will already feature six nations who will be participating in their first ever FIH Hockey World Cup, across both genders and all formats! 

From Oceania, the men’s and women’s teams from Fiji will be making their first ever appearance at an FIH Hockey World Cup. From Asia, it’ll be the men’s and women’s teams of Oman along with the women’s team of Thailand. From Africa, it’ll be the women’s team from Zambia. From the Americas, the Jamaican men’s team and the women’s team from Paraguay will represent their nations, in their first ever appearance at an FIH Hockey World Cup.

Hockey5s is a highly inclusive format, as it reduces the resources required to play the game at the highest level. This is particularly helpful for nations that have traditionally not been equipped with the resources, infrastructural and otherwise, required to practise outdoor hockey. 

Speaking on the subject, Elvis Bwalya, General Secretary of the Zambia Hockey Association remarked, “We are very happy to see that the 5s format is gathering such momentum. We believe that this format will allow all wider sectors of the hockey family to participate in the world class tournaments. We are excited and hope we can engage better with schools in our country using this format and ensuring hockey continues and grows in Zambia.”

Pablo Mendoza, who has led the Paraguay women’s team to this historic qualification, said, “For countries where hockey is still on a developmental level, earning these types of opportunities causes an enormous positive impact in the growth of the sport. I think that FIH is going in the right direction with these efforts on Hockey5s, and it will help smaller nations to grow and to play with top hockey nations.”

Bae Young Wook, the South Korean coach of the Thailand women’s team that impressed everyone at the Asia Hockey5s Cup, qualifying in second place ahead of the traditionally strong Asian teams of Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia, said, “Hockey5s is very good for the development of hockey in Thailand since the amount of hockey players in the country is very small.”

The novelty of the Hockey5s format also allowed the use of a new qualifying system where three teams (per gender) qualified for the event from each continent, in addition to the hosts. 

Duvaughn Henlon, head coach of the Jamaican men’s team said, “Playing numerous qualifiers for smaller nations to get to these major events is extremely expensive for us and to be able to participate in one qualifier with a shot at reaching a world cup event I thought was a game changer.”

The first ever participation in an FIH Hockey World Cup marks a significant milestone for the new entrants and is a fitting reward for their perseverance, despite the challenges faced over the years by the associations, communities and the players. 

Hector Smith Sr, who has spent decades coaching hockey in Fiji, speaking on the men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the inaugural Hockey5s World Cup, said, “The journey to the World Cup is a testament to the years of sacrifice, hard work, and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle by our athletes. It sends a powerful message that with determination and perseverance, anything is possible. Despite facing challenges, including the closure of our hockey centre for nearly two years, we adapted to successfully achieve our objective. We express our sincere gratitude (Vinaka Vakalevu) to everyone who has supported us in this incredible journey.”

Elvis Bwalya also made a note of the pride the people of Zambia feel with their women’s team qualifying for the hockey5s World Cup, “Hockey is the second sport in our country where we have ever qualified for the world cup besides women’s football. We are really excited and enthralled to be part of the first of its kind women’s Hockey5s World Cup.”

For the hockey fans of Oman, after watching their nation host top level hockey tournaments over the past few years, the FIH Hockey5s World Cup will give them their first opportunity to cheer for their home teams in an international competition and the teams themselves are banking on their home support to lift them at the tournament. Sami Al Laun, captain of the Oman men’s team said, “We are very excited to play that big tournament in our life, and even more so since we are hosting it. I’m inviting all our fans to come and enjoy the matches. We need their support! I wish all the best to all teams!”

The FIH Hockey5s World Cup adds to the portfolio of the top tier international hockey tournaments hosted by the FIH which includes the FIH Hockey World Cups, FIH Indoor Hockey World Cups, FIH Junior Hockey World Cups, FIH Hockey Pro League and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup. 

Jamaican Head Coach Duvaughn Henlon speaking on the addition of the Hockey5s World Cup to the existing events and formats, said, “This format of the game is fast, exciting and requires less resources. While I believe the 11-a-side format will be the main format for the sport, Hockey5s definitely has its place and is a game-changer for small nations like Jamaica that want to compete at the highest level with the limited available resources for now.”

The FIH Hockey5s World Cup will begin tomorrow, 24 January at 08:00 local time, as Australia take on Ukraine in the opening encounter of the women’s competition. There will be 15 more matches from the Women’s World Cup on opening day, as all 16 teams will play two of their pool matches on day 1. The men’s competition begins on 28 January, following the conclusion of the women’s tournament. 

New Delhi, 23^rd January 2024: The Indian Women’s Team is prepped and ready to go at the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup set to take place from 24th to 27th January 2024 in Muscat, Oman.   

The Indian Women’s Team find themselves in Pool C alongside the United States of America, Poland and Namibia. The Netherlands, Malaysia, Fiji and hosts Oman find themselves in Pool A while Australia, South Africa, Ukraine and Zambia form Pool B. Group D comprises New Zealand, Uruguay, Thailand and Paraguay.  

India will play their first match against Poland on 24th January at 1250hrs IST followed by the United States of America at 2110hrs IST on the same day. They will play their final group game against Namibia on 25th January at 1430hrs IST. The top two teams from each group will play the Quarter-Finals scheduled for 26th January, with the Semi-Finals scheduled the same day while the Final will be played on 27th January.   

The Indian Team will be led by experienced goalkeeper Rajni Etimarpu and Vice Captained by defender Mahima Chaudhary. The Team also comprises Bansari Solanki as the second goalkeeper, with Akshata Abaso Dhekale and Jyoti Chhatri as defenders. Among midfielders, Mariana Kujur and Mumtaz Khan have been named while Ajmina Kujur, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal and Deepika Soreng have been included as forwards.    

“We’re all really excited to be here at the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup. Everyone’s confident and looking forward to playing this tournament. We will look to execute our plans and take the fight to our opponents,” said Rajni Etimarpu, Captain of the Indian Women’s Hockey5s team.  

Vice-Captain Mahima Chaudhary believed that the team is well prepared for the challenge. She said, “Our preparatory camp was really useful as each of us understood exactly what we need to do. We’re in a good space and know we have it in us to win the title if we play to the best of our ability in tandem with our game plans.”  

The Indian Women’s Team will begin their FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup campaign against Poland on 24th January at 1250hrs IST.  

New Delhi, 31st December 2023: Hockey India on Sunday named the Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams for the upcoming FIH Hockey5s World Cup to be held in Muscat, Oman.

While the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup 2024 will be held between 24th January and 27th January, the FIH Hockey5s Men’s World Cup 2024 will begin on 28th January and conclude on 31st January.

The Indian Women’s Team will be led by experienced goalkeeper Rajni Etimarpu and Vice Captained by defender Mahima Chaudhary. The team also comprises Bansari Solanki as the second goalkeeper, with Akshata Abaso Dhekale and Jyoti Chhatri as defenders. Among midfielders, Mariana Kujur and Mumtaz Khan have been named while Ajmina Kujur, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal and Deepika Soreng have been named as forwards.

The Indian Women’s Team are grouped in Pool C along with Namibia, Poland and the United States. A total of 16 teams will participate in the FIH Hockey5s Women’s World Cup 2024 which includes Fiji, Malaysia, the Netherlands and hosts Oman in Pool A while Australia, South Africa, Ukraine and Zambia are in Pool B and Pool D features New Zealand, Paraguay, Thailand and Uruguay. Speaking about the team selection, Coach Soundarya said, “The team comprises young players with enough international experience and understanding of the challenges of playing a prestigious event such as the Hockey 5’s World Cup. We are well prepared and are upbeat ahead of the tournament.”

The Indian Men’s Team, meanwhile, features experienced forward Simranjeet Singh, Olympic Bronze medallist, leading the team along with defender Mandeep Mor who has done well for India in this format. The team includes goalkeepers Suraj Karkera and Prashant Kumar Chauhan. Mandeep Mor will be joined by Manjeet in defence. Midfield features Mohd Raheel Mouseen and Maninder Singh while fowardline includes Pawan Rajbhar, Gurjot Singh and Uttam Singh along with Captain Simranjeet.

Grouped in Pool B, the Indian Team will play against Egypt, Jamaica and Switzerland to make the knockout rounds. The other teams in the fray include the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan and Poland in Pool A and Pool C features Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago while Pool D includes Fiji, Malaysia, Oman and the United States.

Speaking about the men’s side, Coach Sardar Singh said, “We have chosen a very balanced team with youth and experience for this exciting format of hockey. Several players in this squad already have the experience of playing this format and are eager to perform well. We have worked hard for this tournament and look forward to finishing on the podium.”

Muscat, Oman – The highly anticipated first FIH Hockey5s World Cup is set to make history in Muscat, Oman. Starting on January 24, 2024, the tournament will feature 16 women’s teams from across the globe, all aiming to be crowned the first-ever Hockey5s World Champions. The men’s teams will join the fray on January 28 for four days of high-octane hockey action in a newly constructed, state-of-the-art stadium.

Pool Draws and Competition Structure
The draw, held on September 3, 2023, has established the following pool compositions:

Women’s Teams:

• Pool A: Fiji, Malaysia, Netherlands, Oman
• Pool B: Australia, South Africa, Ukraine, Zambia
• Pool C: India, Namibia, Poland, United States
• Pool D: New Zealand, Paraguay, Thailand, Uruguay

Men’s Teams:

• Pool A: Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland
• Pool B: Egypt, India, Jamaica, Switzerland
• Pool C: Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago
• Pool D: Fiji, Malaysia, Oman, United States

After the pool phase, the top 8 teams (top 2 from each pool) will advance to the quarterfinals. Teams not qualifying for the quarterfinals will have the opportunity to compete for the FIH Hockey5s “Challenger Trophy,” a gesture initiated by FIH President Tayyab Ikram to encourage participation.

Hockey5s: A Game Changer
Hockey5s, while not a new format, has been promoted by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) in recent years to grow the sport globally, particularly in nations facing infrastructural challenges. This World Cup marks the first FIH World Cup appearance for some participating nations, highlighting the format’s accessibility and growth potential.

Characterized by 5-player teams, Hockey5s is known for its dynamic, end-to-end gameplay. The ball is in play for about 90% of a match, thanks to rebound boards along the sidelines and backlines. This format typically sees more goals scored than traditional 11-a-side hockey, as players can score from anywhere past the attacking line. Played on a smaller pitch, Hockey5s offers flexibility in hosting venues, including urban settings, aligning with its young, urban, and fun identity.

The FIH Hockey5s World Cup in Muscat represents a significant milestone in the evolution of hockey, bringing together nations from around the world to compete in this exhilarating format. As teams prepare, the anticipation builds for what promises to be a landmark event in the sport’s history.