As we count down to the highly anticipated FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026, we take a closer look at the competing men's and women's teams ready to battle for global supremacy. In this special preview series, we profile each nation's journey to the tournament, examining their road to qualification, historic achievements, key players to watch, and the tactical minds leading them into the ultimate hockey showcase. In today’s story we take a look at the South African women’s team, ranked #18 in the world.
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Having competed at every FIH Hockey Women's World Cup since 1998 – where they achieved their best finish to date with seventh place in Utrecht (NED) – South Africa have built a strong pedigree in this competition.
Long the dominant force in African hockey, they claimed an eighth Africa Cup of Nations title in 2025 with a commanding display in Ismailia, Egypt, securing an eighth successive World Cup appearance. South Africa opened the tournament with a crushing 10-0 victory over the hosts before being pushed hard by Ghana, eventually prevailing 3-2 thanks in part to a brace from Ongeziwe Mali. Following a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, they found top form in the knockout phase, defeating Nigeria 5-0 in the semi-finals before sealing the title with a convincing 4-0 win over Ghana in the final. Hannah Pearce and Jean-Leigh du Toit finished with four goals each, while Mali and Kayla de Waal both scored three.
Just four months earlier, South Africa had endured a difficult campaign at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 in Walcz, Poland. With only one victory from five matches, they finished bottom of the standings in what could have been a significant blow to confidence ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. Instead, they responded in remarkable fashion, a turnaround that reflected the resilience of both the players and coaching staff.
How they qualified: 1st place – 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Ismailia (EGY)
Notable honours: 8x African Cup for Nations gold medallists (1994, 1998, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2022, 2025). All Africa Games gold medallists (1995, 1999, 2003), 5x African Olympic Qualifier champions (2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023), 7th place – Hockey World Cup (1998), 9th place – Olympic Games (2004).
Rank in previous WC editions: 1998 – 7th, 2002 – 13th, 2006 – 12th, 2010 – 10th, 2014 – 9th, 2018 – 15th, 2022 – 15th
Head coach: Inky Zondi. Zondi was appointed head coach in December 2024 with the task of preparing South Africa for this World Cup campaign. He previously served as interim head coach at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, guiding the team to the title and qualification for the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup Spain & Netherlands 2022. A long-standing member of the national set-up, he has also worked as an assistant coach at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the 2019 African Olympic Qualifiers, and the 2022 World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
One to watch: Hannah Pearce. A four-goal contribution to South Africa’s 2025 African Cup of Nations title played a crucial role in helping them seal their World Cup ticket. The 27-year-old attacker has represented her country 67 times, scoring ten goals.
FIH team / stats page: click here.
Website: https://www.sahockey.co.za
X: @SA_Hockey Facebook: @SAWomensHockey Instagram: sawhockey
The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 begins on 15 August, with both men’s and women’s teams in action on opening day across the Netherlands and Belgium. For more information on the competition including the competition format, pools and the complete match schedule, click here.
