Upsets Reign on Day One of World Cup Qualifier in Santiago

Under the height of pressure, eight teams fought on day one of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifier in Santiago, Chile. Action kicked off with two men’s Pool B matches, seeing Ireland take a 5-2 victory over Canada and Poland with a dramatic 3-2 upset over Korea. Next up was a men’s Pool A doubleheader, where Scotland added an upset of their own with a 3-2 win over France, while Chile and Wales finished out the day with a tie.

The top three finishers in each gender will earn their spot at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026 this August. The fourth place finisher with the highest ranking among qualifiers will also secure their spot.

(Men’s) Ireland 5 – 2 Canada

The performance from Ireland for the first three quarters threatened a shutout over Canada, but a barrage of goals in the final frame better showed the evenness of the match.

Ireland’s Adam McAllister scored the first goal of the Santiago qualifier in the opening quarter, giving Ireland a lead that was never lost. Tallies from Jonathan Lynch and Jeremy Duncan in the second and third quarters, respectively, put the favorites up 3-0.

In the span of the first seven minutes of the final quarter, two sets of goals were traded. A set piece goal from Canada’s Rowan Childs was quickly answered with a set piece goal from Ireland’s Lee Cole. Canada responded with a tally from Jude Nicholson, but poor skill from Canada’s Roopkanwar Dhillon resulted in a penalty stroke for Ireland, who were shortly back with their comfortable three-goal advantage. Ireland finished out with a 5-2 win.

Ireland’s Adam McAllister said: “Although it got tight in the end, I think we were comfortable enough in the end. We left a few goals out there but maybe we can score them another day.”

Ireland’s Lee Cole was awarded player of the match.

(Men’s) Korea 2 – 3 Poland

It was a fourth quarter thriller for Poland, who were able to upset Korea 3-2 after trailing twice in the match.

A scoreless first quarter was broken open by Korea’s Dohyun Lim in minute 27 with a set piece flick. The lead survived just the halftime, as Poland’s Gracjan Jarzyński capitalized on

a well-read intercept in Korea’s backfield to tie the match 1-1. Korea would regain their lead via Syong Oh to close out the third quarter.

In the fourth it would be Jarzyński again, this time with a reverse chip, to even out the scoreline for Poland. Capitalizing on the momentum, Poland pushed ahead and scored with a finish from Michał Lange just a minute later to snatch the lead. A tension-filled final few minutes saw Poland hold on for the 3-2 win.

“It definitely was not the easiest one” commented Poland skipper Jacek Kurowski. “But as we said the most important thing that we earned the three points and that’s the main thing.”

Poland’s Gracjan Jarzyński was awarded player of the match.

(Men’s) France 2 – 3 Scotland

Scotland followed suit with a 3-2 upset of their own, claiming victory over France and the first in Pool A.

France may have gotten too comfortable with a two-goal lead after goals from Gaspard Denis off a reverse hit and Victor Charlet off a penalty stroke. With France up 2-0 in minute 20, an offensive outburst from Scotland—contained to the second quarter—switched the script, due to the offensive prowess of the Golden brothers. Jamie Golden tallied first with a penalty corner conversion, and older brother Cameron found the back of the net twice in the next three minutes. Those three goals would prove to be all that Scotland needed, as they kept their 3-2 lead until the final whistle, powering through despite physical play on both sides.

With two key goals, Scotland’s Cameron Golden was named player of the match. “It was an absolutely fantastic match for us,” said Golden. “Obviously first game, we take it as it comes, always. Scotland are usually underdogs, we fight, we fight, and you know it pays off.”

“I think we played our way into the game, we got better and better, I think it’s good that we can defend so well and then see the game out,” added Golden’s brother Jamie.

(Men’s) Wales 2 – 2 Chile

It looked like host Chile would finish out day one with a third upset, but after holding a 2-1 lead that spanned over 20 minutes, Wales was able to tie the match after putting away a penalty stroke.

Wales earned an early lead against the hosts with a goal from Nicholas Morgan which withstood the test of a video referral. This gave Chile the wake up they needed, as they went on to score back-to-back goals in the second quarter from Raimundo Valenzuela and Agustin Valenzuela. As the sun set in Santiago, a win for the hosts looked inevitable, but a determined Wales side benefited from a penalty stroke call that was made by Gareth Furlong. Despite fourth quarter chances for both teams, the match would end in a 2-2 draw.

“It was such a tough match, they played a very good game,” said Chile’s Kay Gesswein. “We tried to stay ahead but they caught us in the last minute so it’s a shame, but we’re excited for the next match.”

Chile’s Juan Amoroso was awarded player of the match. To see the current standings in the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifier Santiago, click here.

Tomorrow’s slate features the four opening women’s matches.

2026 FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifier Santiago – March 1, 2026

Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional

Santiago, Chile

Results:

Ireland 5 – 2 Canada

Player of the match: Lee Cole (IRL) Umpires : DELFORGE Laurine (BEL), NEWMAN Zeke (AUS), PAZOS Victoria (PAR) (video)

Korea 2 – 3 Poland

Player of the match: Gracjan Jarzyński (POL) Umpires: GIDDENS Maggie (USA), HUBACH Darren (RSA), MOCKAITYTE Kamile (LTU) (Video)

France 2 – 3 Scotland

Player of the match: Cameron Golden (SCO) Umpires: HUDSON Kelly (NZL), UNKLES James (AUS), NEWMAN Zeke (AUS) (video)