The 2024 Oceania Indoor World Cup Qualifiers came to an end yesterday with Australia men and women claiming the title, as both teams secured their spots at the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025, which will be played in Poreč, Croatia from 3-9 February 2025. With Australia's qualification, all 12 men's and women's qualification spots for the upcoming World Cup have been filled!
The qualifiers in Oceania were played between the men’s and women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand in a three match series, with wins earning three points, while draws gave each team a point apiece.
In the men’s tournament, Australia came fast out of the gates in the first two contests. They took a 3 goal lead in the first half of the first game and scored 4 unanswered goals to start the second game. Although New Zealand battled back in both encounters, Australia won the games 5-3 and 4-2 to secure 6 out of the 9 available points to seal their qualification to the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup Croatia 2025. New Zealand won the third and final match 3-2, which showed how evenly matched the two teams were, but the three points they earned from it were merely consolation.
Australia Head Coach Brett Herrington spoke with us after his team’s qualification and said: “To earn our spot in the next World Cup by qualifying as Oceania Champs is very special in itself for our sport! There is lots of work to do now to get ready for the World Cup, but what the Australian Squad have undertaken this week in camp has set the nucleus for our journey to Croatia. I’m very excited and privileged to be able to guide this group forward, and take on the best teams in the world in February 2025.”
In the women’s tournament, the opening game was a tense affair with both defences holding strong for much of the match. After three goalless quarters, Australia finally broke the deadlock in the 34th minute through a Kelsey Hughes goal and held on to that slender lead till the final whistle to take all three points. The second match was a much more entertaining affair as Australia scored early and held the lead twice but New Zealand bounced back both times to draw the match 3-3, and split the points, setting up a crucial final match to decide the World Cup qualification. New Zealand twice took the lead in the final game but Australia mounted comebacks both times and the third game ended with an identical scoreline to the second, with teams finishing tied at 3-3. Australia finished the event with 5 points while New Zealand settled for second place with 2 points, making it a double delight for Australia in qualifying for the upcoming FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2025.
Lizzy Duguid, Australian Women’s Captain and Goalkeeper spoke with us after her team’s qualification and said: “It was an amazing opportunity to play international hockey on home soil and to get the job of qualifying done was a real testament to the whole squad including our off field team. Thank you to NZ who were an incredibly tough opponent and played some excellent indoor hockey. I really hope that we can continue to build the sport in the region through series such as these.”
With the end of the 2024 Oceania Indoor World Cup Qualifiers, all qualifications for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup Croatia 2025 are now complete.
In the men’s tournament the teams competing for the title will be Croatia (hosts), Austria, Belgium, Germany and Poland (Europe), Argentina and Trinidad and Tobago (Pan America), Iran and Malaysia (Asia), Namibia and South Africa (Africa) and Australia (Oceania).
In the women’s tournament challenging for the title will be Croatia (hosts), Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Poland and Spain (Europe), USA (Pan America), Thailand (Asia), Namibia and South Africa (Africa) and Australia (Oceania).
The first FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup was played in 2003. The last edition, staged in Pretoria, South Africa, last year was won by the Netherlands (women) and Austria (men).
All information about previous FIH Indoor Hockey World Cups is available on the FIH Data Hub (free access).
