Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 8

Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 7th.

Having claimed World, European and Olympic titles in recent years, Belgium have a sparkling reputation outdoors. Their commitment to the indoor game has grown significantly in recent times and were set to host the 6th Indoor World Cup in 2022 before Covid-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the event in Liege. A second-place finish at the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in 2018, losing only to Austria – who went on to become world champions a matter of weeks later – is the highlight of Belgium’s recent indoor endeavours, but they will be looking to make a big impact in Pretoria. They certainly have the talent to go deep into this competition, especially in Philippe Simar, who finished top scorer at the 2022 Euro Indoors with 20 goals. Simar – who has been named captain of the team in Pretoria – scored seven times in Belgium’s 9-7 triumph over Czech Republic to claim a fifth place finish in that competition, with Mallory Magnant and Dylan Englebert also contributing.