It was a busy day in Santiago, Chile with four men’s and two women’s matches at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifier Santiago.
In the men’s Pool A, France had a 5-0 shutout over Wales, while Chile picked up a second draw after facing Scotland. Scotland now sits top of the table with a win and a draw, while Wales is bottom with a loss and a draw. The two matches tomorrow will decide who will move on to the semifinals.
It was a decisive day for men’s Pool B, where Poland and Ireland secured their place in the semifinals with wins, bumping out Canada and Korea.
On the women’s side, Pool B saw Ireland lock down a semifinal spot with a tight 2-1 win over Japan. Canada’s World Cup hopes were dashed with a 6-1 loss to Malaysia, who will battle Japan on Thursday in a crucial match.
(Men’s) Canada 1 – 2 Poland
In a thrilling match, Poland outlasted Canada, 2-1, to cement its spot in the semifinals.
Playing with more to lose after its defeat to Ireland the day before, Canada looked to be on the front foot to start off the match, but it was scoreless at halftime. The first goal did not come until the final seconds of the third quarter, when Maksymillian Koperski sent an aerial up to the stick of Graejan Jarzyński, who turned and fired to give Poland a 1-0 advantage.
With four minutes remaining, Poland scored the decisive second goal via penalty corner drag flick from Tomasz Bembenek. With this strike, Canada’s goal in the final seconds from Jude Nicholson was in vain, as Poland made it out with a 2-1 win.
Gracjan Jarzyński, who scored Poland’s first goal, earned his second player of the match honor. “Today’s game was an important game,” said Jarzyński. “We won this game and now we play in the semifinals.”
(Men’s) Korea 1 – 6 Ireland
In a must-win game for Korea, it was Ireland who came out on top and secured its spot in the semifinals with a decisive 6-1 victory.
An even first quarter nearly ended in stalemate but that was broken by goals in the final minute from each side. On an offensive chance for Ireland, the ball was lodged in the goalkeeper’s pads, and Gregory Williams converted on the ensuing penalty corner. With 30 seconds left, a tentative yet crucial video referral request from
Korea paid off, as the penalty corner call was made and Jonghyun Jang nailed the opportunity. The two sides were back to even to enter the second frame.
As time ticked away the temperature of the match rose slowly. In the 27th minute, the Green Machine regained their lead with a penalty stroke converted by Lee Cole. Hitting Korea with a double punch, Ireland streaked up the field and a tip-in by Matthew Nelson made Ireland’s lead slightly more comfortable at 3-1.
Korea nearly kept their opponent off the board for the third quarter, but Louis Rowe slammed one home in the 42nd minute. The little hope Korea had for not getting eliminated from World Cup contention was wiped away as Ireland opened the final stanza with a fifth goal from Louis Rowe. Cole got a second of his own off another set piece to put Ireland up 6-1.
Ireland’s Sean Murray was named player of the match. “Amazing team performance,” said Murray. “I think we really stepped it up after the Canada game with a good result…so that secures our semifinal, and we have a big game tomorrow against Poland.”
(Women’s) Canada 1 – 6 Malaysia
Both entering the match-up with one loss, Canada and Malaysia were desperate for a win. A commanding performance from Malaysia gave them the victory they needed, while Canada was eliminated from FIH World Cup contention.
Malaysia struck first, as Khairunnisa Mohd converted a penalty corner in the ninth minute. Canada answered not long after, leveling the score as Chloe Walton finished off of a pass from Laine Delmotte.
The next tally would come in the second quarter from Malaysia — a superb one-touch goal from Nur Azhar — to take the lead. To cap off the frame, Malaysia had a chance to capitalize on a Canada error, and Nur Azhar did not disappoint. Azhar buried the ball into the back of the cage to put Malaysia up, 3-1.
Things just got grimmer for Canada as the game went on, seeing Malaysia’s persistent attack continue with goals from Zati Muhamad and Nuramirah Zulkifli in the third frame. Fatin Sukri put away Malaysia’s sixth goal in the fourth quarter.
Malaysia’s Nur Azhar was named player of the match. “Today we played well, I’m proud of myself and also my team,” said Azhar. “We gave our best to win this game, tomorrow we rest and study for the next game.”
(Women’s) Ireland 2 – 1 Japan
A clash between the top two teams in Pool B did not disappoint as No. 13 Ireland defeated No. 12 Japan, 2-1. Ireland locked down a spot in the semifinals with the win, while Japan will look to take down Malaysia on Thursday.
Ireland wasted no time going on the attack, earning a penalty corner in the first 20 seconds. The first frame closed with Japan finding its first set piece chance, but neither team could tally.
Penalty corners would prove to be key for Ireland, as it converted two in the second quarter — out of five overall — to take a 2-0 lead. Niamh Carey laid out for a tip on the first, while Caoimhe Perdue converted another right before the halftime whistle.
Japan’s perseverance in the fourth led to another set piece opportunity, where Mai Toriyama tipped in a shot to make it 2-1 with five minutes remaining. Ireland was able to hold on to its slim lead for the win.
Niamh Carey picked up player of the match. “We’re very happy with it,” said Carey. “Japan are a tricky team, and we know they always are dangerous on the counterattack, so to win 2-1 we are very happy that we’ll take the points and move on.”
(Men’s) Wales 0 – 5 France
France started the match at the bottom of the pool after its loss to Scotland but climbed to the second spot with a 5-0 win over Wales. Wales now sits fourth after the loss, but just by a single point.
France struck first in the 20th minute when Benjamin Marqué was fouled in the circle, paving the way for Victor Charlet to sink a penalty stroke. It was a stressful next 18 minutes for both sides, but a flood of relief for France soon followed as Benjamin Marqué hit an absolute cracker of a reverse shot to double the lead. Not long after, Victor Charlet tallied his second with a set piece conversion.
The final frame was an emphatic end for France, as Victor Charlet and Benjamin Marqué each notched another goal apiece for France to take a 5-0 victory.
France’s Victor Charlet, who scored a hat trick, was named player of the match. “It was a tough game against a good team, Wales,” said Charlet. “We are super happy with the result, and it’s a big win for the rest of the competition.”
(Men’s) Scotland 2 – 2 Chile
An intense game between Chile and Scotland ended in a 2-2 draw, with all four goals coming in the second half. Scotland will be looking for at least a draw against Wales tomorrow, while Chile will seek a win against France.
After a contentious yet scoreless first half, a breakthrough came early in the third quarter. Chile’s Sebastián Wolansky dribbled through several defenders and scored on a hard shot to put Los Diablos up 1-0. Scotland responded, evening the score with a powerful penalty corner flick from Jamie Golden.
More drama ensued in the fourth, as Chile enjoyed their second short-lived lead with a penalty corner finish from Juan Amoroso. Scotland immediately followed it up with its own set piece goal, a pass right to Struan Walker that bobbled over the line.
Sebastián Wolansky of Chile was named player of the match. “I think we were on point,” said Wolansky. “It was a very good pace for us and our game. We are not feeling great about the results because we wanted to win, but we are still [in contention] to go to the World Cup."
“It was a tough game,” commented Robert Field, Scotland captain. “I thought they played really really well. We’ll be going away a bit disappointed because particularly in the end we had lots of chances to snatch a win.”
FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifier 2026 Santiago – March 1, 2026
Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional
Santiago, Chile
Results:
(Men’s) Canada 1 – 2 Poland
Player of the match: Gracjan Jarzyński
Umpires: Illanggo Kanabathu (MAS), Juan Pedro Rodriguez (ARG), James Unkles (AUS) – video
(Men’s) Korea 1 – 6 Ireland
Player of the match: Sean Murray (IRL)
Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Kamie Telfer (SCO), Illanggo Kanabathu (MAS) – video
(Women’s) Canada 1 – 6 Malaysia
Player of the match: Nur Azhar (MAS)
Umpires: Kelly Hudson (NLZ), Lorijn de Kraker (NED), Jamie Telfer (SCO) – video
(Women’s) Ireland 2 – 1 Japan
Player of the match: Niamh Carey (IRL) Umpires: Maggie Giddens (USA), Kamile Mockaityte (LTU), Juan Pedro Rodriguez (ARG) – video
(Men’s) Wales 0 – 5 France
Player of the match: Victor Charlet (FRA) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Darren Hubach (RSA), Kelly Hudson (NZL) – video
(Men’s) Scotland 2 – 2 Chile
Player of the match: Sebastián Wolansky (CHI) Umpires: Hyosik You (KOR), Laurine Delforge (BEL), Darren Hubach (RSA) – video
