Ireland and France, the two top-ranked teams in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup men’s tournament at Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, were both victorious on the opening day, while Malaysia put their hands up as strong contenders in Pool A. Ireland started patiently before gradually but emphatically dismantling the United States team 3-0, while France were not as clinical but certainly dominant as they handed hosts South Africa a 4-2 defeat. Malaysia produced plenty of skilful hockey as they beat Scotland 5-2, while Korea and Japan drew a thrilling game 1-1, with each team dominating a half.

Lausanne, Switzerland – In line with one of the key pillars of its Empowerment and Engagement Strategy – “More opportunities to compete” – the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is pleased to announce the expansion of the number of teams participating in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup and the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 from the current eight to ten teams from the next edition onwards. In total, this move means that eight additional teams will participate across these events each year.

The countdown is on! With less than 48 hours left until the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2025-26, here’s what the teams had to say: