Belgium men seal the deal as Irish women bow out

Needing just one more point, Belgium produced a composed performance to beat the Netherlands 2-1 and secure the men’s FIH Hockey Pro League title.

Meanwhile, Ireland's 1-0 defeat to China confirmed their relegation from the women's tournament after England had ensured their own survival with a 4-2 win over Spain.

In other action, Australia achieved what no other team could this season, taking points off already-crowned women’s champions, the Netherlands, drawing 1-1 and then winning the shootout.

There was another shootout in the match between Germany and Argentina’s men, after an eight-goal thriller, with the Germans prevailing, while in the other match of the day, England’s men punished already-relegated Pakistan 7-1.

(Men’s) Germany 4 – 4 Argentina (SO: 2-1)

In a match of see-sawing momentum, Germany came from two goals down, scoring two in the final five minutes to force a shootout, where they prevailed as their captain, Tom Gramsbusch, celebrated his 150^th cap.

Germany opened the scoring in the 11^th minute off a good Benedikt Schwarzhaupt drag flick from the first penalty corner of the match. They doubled their lead moments later with a similar drag, this time from Jakob Brilla. With under a minute to go before the first break, a lovely team effort initiated by Nicolas della Torre saw the ball coming back to him at the far post to dink it in and make it 2-1.

Argentina found the equaliser through a penalty corner of their own with two minutes remaining in the first half, with the tournament’s top goal-scorer Tomas Domene notching up his 20^th of the Pro League season. Domene then made it 21 from a penalty stroke in the 34^th minute to edge his team in front for the first time in the match.

A lapse in the German defence led to Argentina’s fourth in the 41^st. Lucas Toscani received an aerial ball in the circle, using impressive 3D skills to work it towards goal for Martin Ferreiro to pop it in and make his 100^th cap for Los Leones even more memorable.

Justus Weigand then scrambled one in for the home side with just over five minutes remaining to make it 4-3, and they pulled off their keeper immediately after to chase another goal. The move paid off as Weigand popped in a second, helping Paul-Philipp Kaufmann’s initial strike on its way with 17 seconds to go, to draw level at 4-4, taking the match to a shootout.

Justus Weigand was named Player of the Match for Germany and said: “I think that’s what our team is all about, honestly, being there from the first minute and also until the last minute, and I’m pretty happy that we won the game in the end.”

(Women’s) England 4 – 2 Spain

Candela Mejias notched up her 100^th cap for Spain in a losing cause as England posted a hard-fought 4-2 win, securing their place in next season’s Pro League in the process.

An evenly contested first quarter saw a couple of chances apiece before England took the lead in the 10^th minute, finding Tess Howard in the circle from a quick free hit for a clean reverse stick shot. Spain hit back straight away, Luciano Molina tapping in from a square ball across goal.

Liv Hamilton restored the lead for England with a well-struck penalty corner in the 22^nd minute, and they survived a flurry of penalty corners mid-quarter. Maria Tello had to make a few good saves in goal for Spain later in the half as England carried their narrow 2-1 advantage to half-time.

Spain looked most likely to score in the third quarter, but they were struggling in the final third of the pitch, and they couldn’t get their penalty corner routine working, eventually finishing the match with zero from 11. Cottie Amundson made a great save on the post to keep them in touch, though, and there was still everything to play for in the final quarter.

Lily Owsley then blasted England two goals clear in the 51^st minute, but they were slow to react to a free hit a minute later. Spain capitalised by taking it quickly, driving along the baseline and slipping it to Amundson for a sharp two-touch bunt. Spain sacrificed their goalkeeper to chase a result, but England managed to break out in the 58^th minute for Darcy Bourne to finish into an empty net.

England’s Lily Owsley was named as Player of the Match and said: “I think occasionally we've been doubted of how we can perform under pressure, and I think maybe that's something we've had to work on a lot. We had to come out here and win today, or let's be honest, we were going to be relegated, and I think there's not much bigger pressure than that.”

(Women’s) Ireland 0 – 1 China

After England’s victory over Spain earlier in the afternoon, Ireland found themselves in a must-win situation against China to avoid relegation. They battled bravely but weren’t able to avoid the drop after China held on for a 1-0 win.

Ireland started positively but fell behind early after the ball was turned over just outside the circle. Zhang Ying's pass along the baseline took a deflection off an Irish stick and into the net to put China 1-0 up in the seventh minute.

While Ireland created one or two opportunities, most of the pressure came at the other end, with China forcing Irish keeper Lizzie Murphy into a series of good saves to keep the deficit to just one goal.

China hit the post from a penalty corner early in the second quarter, but Ireland gradually settled and began to take more control of proceedings, creating several chances, including one that required an excellent double save from Chinese keeper Liu Ping to preserve her side's lead going into half-time.

There were chances at both ends in the second half, but neither side was able to score. The end-to-end action continued in the final period with Ireland fighting for their Pro League lives. They pulled off their keeper with four minutes to go, but the goal didn’t come, and Ireland’s relegation was confirmed as China sealed the win.

China’s Zhang Ying was named Player of the Match and said: “It was a tough game today. We were very happy we could win today with this very hot weather.”

(Men’s) England 7 – 0 Pakistan

James Gall celebrated his 100^th appearance for England with a Player of the Match award as they romped home 7-0 over Pakistan.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper Ali Raza was kept very busy as England bossed the first quarter. He made several fine saves before Sam Ward beat him with a low drag flick in the 9^th minute. Nick Bandurak doubled their lead in the 15^th, steering the ball in from Phil Roper’s ball across goal.

Pakistan’s chances were few and far between, although they remained very dangerous on attack. England extended their lead in the 22^nd minute from a recycled penalty corner, Sam Taylor getting on the left post for a deflection off the second shot to bag his first international goal. Pakistan turned over possession cheaply late in the quarter to afford England a chance from the top of the circle, but Raza made an exceptional glove save and clearance. England held a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time.

The goals started to come at regular intervals in the second half as England assumed full dominance. Sam Hooper ripped his 38^th-minute drag flick into the net, and Bandurak replicated that effort almost exactly in the 48^th. Zach Wallace added a penalty stroke in the 49^th, and Henry Croft’s clever deflection across goal towards support runners bounced off the back of the goalkeeper’s boot and into the goal in the 52^nd. Oliver Payne pulled off a brilliant save with his left boot when Pakistan earned a late penalty corner, and England missed two clear field goal attempts at the death.

James Gall was named Player of the Match for England and said: “We had two more games going into today in the Pro League that we wanted to put as much pressure on Belgium as we could to try and get that top spot, but we also wanted just to win today. So great to do in the sun at Lee Valley in front of a home crowd.”

(Women’s) Netherlands 1 – 1 Australia (SO: 1-3)

Australia went from just surviving relegation to becoming the first team to take points off the champion Dutch side with a last-gasp goal to draw their final match of the season. They then also earned the extra point in the shootout.

The Australians had made a bright start, creating two scoring opportunities inside the opening three minutes. The Hockeyroos also earned the first penalty corner of the match, but the Dutch defence stood firm as Australia continued to enjoy the momentum throughout the opening quarter.

Chances came at both ends in the second period, with Frederique Matla sending the Netherlands' best opportunity over the crossbar before making amends moments later. Australia conceded possession cheaply, allowing Freeke Moes to surge down the left and deliver a dangerous cross that Matla deftly deflected home in front of goal to give the Dutch a 1-0 lead in the 26^th minute.

The chances dried up in the third quarter as neither side was able to create clear openings. The Netherlands were briefly reduced to 10 players when Moes was shown a two-minute green card with just over four minutes remaining in the match, but Australia failed to make their extra player count. The Hockeyroos then threw everything forward in the closing stages, withdrawing their goalkeeper and winning a penalty corner with just 27 seconds left on the clock. Claire Colwill made no mistake, burying a drag flick into the bottom-left corner to force a shootout, where her side earned the bonus point.

Claire Colwill was named as Player of the Match for Australia and said: “It’s bittersweet really. We put ourselves in a really bad position throughout the whole of the Pro League, but a good end to a big building block I think for us leading into the World Cup.”

(Men’s) Belgium 2 – 1 Netherlands

Belgium needed just one point across their final two matches to be crowned FIH Hockley Pro League champions, and they got the job done at the first attempt with a high-quality 2-1 win over the Netherlands.

There were a couple of early half-chances for both teams with Belgium controlling the early tempo. The Dutch wrestled control away from them mid-quarter and enjoyed a long period on the attack, but Vincent Vanasch was solid in goal and they came away empty-handed. The Belgians snatched the lead from a penalty corner with time up on the clock in the 15^th minute, Alexander Hendrickx whipping a blistering drag flick into the bottom left corner.

Tom Boon added a second for the Red Lions in the 17^th minute, pouncing on loose ball from a baseline feed and carrying it away from goal before slamming it in on the turn. Vanasch got his angles right to make an important save for the Belgians, and Hidde Brink made two exceptional saves at the opposite end of the pitch to keep it 2-0 to Belgian at half-time.

The Dutch enjoyed most of the possession at the start of the third quarter, and they turned Belgium over in hot areas a few times. A goal seemed inevitable and it came in the 36^th minute, Tijmen Reyenga’s ferocious penalty corner slap bouncing in off the post-man’s stick.

The Belgians held a lot of possession in the fourth quarter, slowing play down and building phases patiently. The Netherlands did chase hard to the final whistle, but Belgium hung on for the full complement of points, the Pro League title, and Olympic qualification.

Vincent Vanasch of Belgium was named Player of the Match and said: “We fought hard from the beginning ‘til the end. I think we deserved this win. It was a great game of hockey. I’m really proud for this generation to take the second trophy for the history. Now we go to the World Cup, and qualified for LA, it’s fantastic.”

Current Hero Top Scorers:

Women – Yibbi Jansen (NED) (13 goals)

Men – Tomas Domene (ARG) (21 goals)

To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.

FIH Hockey Pro League – 27 June 2026

Ernst Reuter Sportfeld, Berlin (GER)

Men

Result: Match 67 (M)

Germany 4 – 4 Argentina (SO: 2-1)

Player of the match: Justus Weigand (GER)

Umpires: Michiel Otten (NED), Timothy Sheahan (AUS), Laurine Delforge (BEL-video)

Women

Result: Match 69 (W)

Ireland 0 – 1 China

Player of the match: Zhang Ying (CHN)

Umpires: Steven Bakker (NED), Jonathan von Hoesslin (RSA), Michiel Otten (NED-video)

Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, London (UK)

Women

Result: Match 67 (W)

England 4 - 2 Spain

Player of the match: Lily Owsley (ENG)

Umpires: Junko Wagatsuma (JPN), Sarah Wilson (SCO), Hong-Zhen Lim (SGP-video)

Men

Result: Match 68 (M)

England 7 - 0 Pakistan

Player of the match: James Gall (ENG)

Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Coen van Bunge (NED), Magali Sergeant (BEL-video)

Belfius Hockey Area, Wavre (BEL)

Women

Result: Match 68 (W)

Netherlands 1 - 1 Australia (SO: 1 - 3)

Player of the match: Claire Colwill (AUS)

Umpires: Darren Hubach (RSA), Cookie Tan (SGP), Hannah Harrison (ENG-video)

Men

Result: Match 69 (M)

Belgium 2 - 1 Netherlands

Player of the match: Vincent Vanasch (BEL)

Umpires: Gareth Greenfield (NZL), Raphael Adrien (GER), Rachel Williams (ENG-video)