The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023! Each team comes with the aim of becoming indoor hockey world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honour at the end of the World Cup. The first obstacle for all 12 teams in both men’s and women’s category, come in the form of their pool opponents. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals with the teams finishing in the bottom two spots in their pool getting eliminated from the quest for the title. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool A of the men’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to the World Cup. Austria Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 1 Indoor World Cup history: 2007 – 6th, 2011 – 3rd, 2015 – 2nd, 2018 – 1st. About the Team: The defending champions and ranked number one in the world, Austria enter the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023 event widely regarded as favourites. Their sensational victory at the previous event, where they defeated tournament hosts Germany to gold in front of a raucous capacity crowd at Berlin’s Max Schmeling Halle, is undisputedly the finest moment in the history of Austrian hockey. Numerous players who competed in Berlin have been named in the preliminary squad for the competition, including goal-scoring machine Michael Körper, playmaker Benni Stanzl and team captain Xaver Hasun. Another key player is Fabian Unterkircher, who scored both goals in Austria’s recent 2-1 victory over home favourites Germany in the final of the 2022 Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Hamburg. Defending a world title is never going to be easy, but Austria have every chance of success in Pretoria. Belgium Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 8 Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 7th About the Team: Having claimed World, European and Olympic titles in recent years, Belgium have a sparkling reputation outdoors. Their commitment to the indoor game has grown significantly in recent times and were set to host the 6th Indoor World Cup in 2022 before Covid-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the event in Liege. A second-place finish at the EuroHockey Indoor Championships in 2018, losing only to Austria – who went on to become world champions a matter of weeks later – is the highlight of Belgium’s recent indoor endeavours, but they will be looking to make a big impact in Pretoria. They certainly have the talent to go deep into this competition, especially in Philippe Simar, who finished top scorer at the 2022 Euro Indoors with 20 goals. Simar – who has been named captain of the team in Pretoria – scored seven times in Belgium’s 9-7 triumph over Czech Republic to claim a fifth place finish in that competition, with Mallory Magnant and Dylan Englebert also contributing. Kazakhstan Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 14 Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 12th About the Team: Kazakhstan return to the Indoor Hockey World Cup stage for the second time. Despite finishing bottom of the standings on their debut at Berlin 2018, they certainly won the hearts of those who saw their tireless, battling performances at the Max-Schmeling-Halle. They showed good form at the 2022 Men’s Indoor Asia Cup, claiming the bronze medal with a 5-4 victory over Indonesia thanks to goals from Aman Yelubayev (2), Daulet Urmanov, Yerkebulan Dyussebekov and Agymtay Duisengazy. Kazakhstan lost just one of their six matches at the event in Bangkok, Thailand, with Urmanov – who captains the team in Pretoria – netting ten goals to finish third in the top scorer chart. Namibia Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 17 Indoor World Cup history: 2011 – 12th About the Team: Namibia men make a return to the Indoor Hockey World Cup stage after an absence of 12 years and will be keen to make a big impact. The team finished bottom of the standings at the 2011 competition in Poznan, Poland, but will be relishing the opportunity to give a good account of themselves at the first Indoor World Cup to take place on African soil. Namibia finished in second place at the 2021 Indoor Africa Cup competition, which took place in Durban, South Africa and featured the hosts and Botswana in a three-nation event. Namibia’s Fagan Hansen, who was 18 at the time, finished as the top scorer in that competition, netting 24 goals in just five matches. Hansen remains a potent goal threat for Namibia, having scored seven times in ten matches against South Africa in the latter part of 2022. The team is captained by goalkeeper David Strauss, the only member of the current Namibia squad to have played at the 2011 Indoor World Cup. Netherlands Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 6 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 5th, 2011 – 5th, 2015 – 1st About the Team: The Netherlands stunned all onlookers when they claimed the Indoor Hockey World Cup title at the 2015 competition in Leipzig (GER), beating Austria – champions themselves three years later in Berlin – with a 3-2 score-line. Having not competed in the 2018 event, they return to the Indoor World Cup stage with their eyes very much on the prize. The Netherlands won bronze at the 2022 EuroHockey Indoor Championship competition in Hamburg, Germany, powering to a 10-3 triumph over Switzerland in the 3-4 play-off game. However, it was their stunning 7-4 victory over eventual title winners and reigning world champions Austria that really turned heads, giving indication that they could be a real threat in Pretoria. Jochem Bakker, top scorer for the Oranje in Hamburg with 12 goals, is a prolific marksman for the team coached by Robert Tigges, a man who also knew the route to goal. Tigges scored 16 times to finish top scorer at the 2011 Indoor World Cup in Poznan (POL) before

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The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023! Each team comes with the aim of becoming indoor hockey world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honour at the end of the World Cup. The first obstacle for all 12 teams in both men’s and women’s category, come in the form of their pool opponents. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals with the teams finishing in the bottom two spots in their pool getting eliminated from the quest for the title. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool B of the women’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to the World Cup. Belgium Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 13 Indoor World Cup history: 2015-11th. About the Team: Belgium make their second Indoor World Cup appearance, returning to the top table after an 11th place finish at the Leipzig 2015 competition. Team captain Laurine Delforge – who is not only a superb indoor player but one of the finest international umpires around, umpiring Olympic and World Cup finals – is one of four players selected for this event to have also competed in Leipzig, with Charlotte vander Gracht, Marie Ronquetti and superb goalkeeper Elodie Picard also veterans from their previous campaign. The team is coached by Max Garreta, a former captain of the Belgium men’s indoor side. Canada Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 16 Indoor World Cup history: 2007 – 9th, 2015 – 10th. About the Team: Canada women are two-time Pan American continental champions, having won the title both in 2005 and 2014. They were the beaten finalists in the 2021 edition of the competition, where host nation USA claimed a 3-0 victory over their north American rivals at the tournament in Spring City, Pennsylvania. Kathleen Leahy and Alison Lee scored six goals apiece in that competition, with Madison Thompson also making a telling contribution with a four goal haul. Both Leahy and Lee have been named in Canada’s 2023 Indoor World Cup squad, with Lee having the honour of captaining her country here in Pretoria. Czech Republic Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 4 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 4th, 2007 – 11th, 2011 – 6th, 2015 – 3rd, 2018 – 7th. About the Team: Czech Republic are ever-present in the Indoor World Cup, with their best performance coming at the 2015 competition in Leipzig, where they snatched the bronze medal thanks to a shoot-out victory against Austria. Katerina Lacina and Adela Reinosova scored what proved to be the medal winning goals in the one-on-ones, giving Czech Republic their greatest Indoor World Cup moment. Lacina, who also represented her country at Berlin 2018, will captain the team in Pretoria. A fifth-place finish at the 2022 EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Hamburg, Germany was perhaps below expectations, but they did end that competition on a high, comprehensively defeating Turkey 5-0 with Lucie Duchkova scoring twice. Kazakhstan Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 12 Indoor World Cup history: 2011 – 12th, 2015 – 12th. 2018 – 12th. About the Team: Having won six of the eight Indoor Hockey Asia Cup competitions played to date, Kazakhstan have a solid reputation at continental level. However, with last place finishes at their three previous Indoor World Cup competitions, they will be keen to show the world their qualities this time around. Kazakhstan looked on course for a seventh continental title at the 2022 Indoor Hockey Asia Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, reaching the semi-finals unbeaten before suffering two defeats to end the competition in fourth place. Eighteen year old Viktoriya Lobanova (8 goals) and Balzhan Beisenbay (7) both impressed at the event in Bangkok and are likely to be key players here in Pretoria. Namibia Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 9 Indoor World Cup history: 2011 – 10th, 2018 – 9th. About the Team: Namibia are three-time winners of the Indoor Africa Cup continental championship, with their most recent title arriving at the 2021 event in Durban, South Africa. Remarkably, Namibia suffered two defeats against South Africa in the competition, losing 2-1 and 4-0 before turning the tables in the gold medal match with Sunelle Ludwig and Jaime Gillies scoring the goals to give Namibia a 2-0 triumph over the host nation. In October 2022, the two nations again went head-to-head in a five match test series, with Namibia winning two, drawing two and losing once. Azaylee Philander netted eight times to finish as the top scorer in the test series. The team is captained by Magreth Mengo, who represented Namibia in both of their previous Indoor World Cup campaigns. Ukraine Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 3 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 4th, 2007 – 11th, 2011 – 6th, 2015 – 3rd, 2018 – 7th About the Team: Having never finished lower than sixth in their previous four Indoor World Cup campaigns, 2011 bronze medallists Ukraine have consistently proven themselves to be a potent force in this competition. They came agonisingly close to claiming a second Indoor World Cup bronze medal at the Berlin 2018 event, taking the lead against Belarus before eventually suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat. They arrive in Pretoria as European bronze medallists thanks to a series of superb performances at the EuroHockey Indoor Championship 2022 in Hamburg, Germany. Oksana Ponomarenko scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Austria in the 3-4 play-off game, while Olha Honcharenko top scored for her team with seven goals in the competition. Led by captain Yevheniia Moroz, Ukraine’s talented, vastly experienced team have every chance of getting amongst the medals once again.

January 31, 2023 The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa as we countdown to the final few days till the start of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023! Each team comes with the aim of becoming indoor hockey world champions, but only one team can earn the highest honour at the end of the World Cup. The first obstacle for all 12 teams in both men’s and women’s category, come in the form of their pool opponents. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarterfinals with the teams finishing in the bottom two spots in their pool getting eliminated from the quest for the title. In today’s preview, meet the teams in Pool A of the women’s competition, and find out the unique playing styles they will bring to the World Cup. Australia Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 9 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 9th, 2007 – 6th, 2011 – 8th, 2015 – 8th, 2018 – 6th.  About the Team: Having competed in every Indoor World Cup played to date, Australia are seasoned performers and always difficult to beat. Their sixth-place finish at the 2018 event in Berlin, Germany was their joint highest placement, matching their previous best at the Vienna 2007 competition. Emma McLeish is the team’s most experienced athlete, with the 34-year old having represented her country at the Poznan 2011, Leipzig 2015 and Berlin 2018 competitions. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Duguid and Madeleine Murphy were also involved at Berlin 2018 and will be determined to make that world level knowhow count in Pretoria. The event will be an extra special one for the family of Caitlin and Erin Burns, sisters who have both gained selection for this event. Austria Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 8th Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 7th, 2007 – 7th, 2011 – 7th, 2015 – 4th. About the Team: After missing the Berlin 2018 edition, Austria return to the women’s Indoor World Cup stage and will be setting their sights high. Following seventh place finishes at the Leipzig 2003 and Vienna 2007 competitions, Austria came agonisingly close to a podium finish at Leipzig 2015, holding Czech Republic to a draw before suffering a heart-breaking defeat in the shoot-out. The team selected for Pretoria 2023 contains two players who competed in that painful defeat, with Marianne Pultar and Marta Laginja both aiming to get amongst the medals this time around. In December, Austria finished fourth in the recent EuroHockey Indoor Championship 2022 in Hamburg, Germany, with 20-year-old Johanna Czech top scoring for her team with four goals. Netherlands Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 2nd Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 2nd, 2007 – 1st, 2011 – 2nd, 2015 – 1st, 2018 – 2nd.  About the Team: With two gold and three silver medals from the five Indoor World Cups played to date, the Netherlands have a sensational record in this competition and are sure to be one of the favourites for glory here in Pretoria. The Oranje were in imperious form throughout the Berlin 2018 competition, winning seven games in succession before hosts Germany edged them 2-1 in the gold medal match. Four players from the team that competed in Berlin will be in action at the 2023 event, including co-captains Lieke van Wijk and Donja Zwinkels, outstanding goalkeeper Alexandra Heerbart and Noor de Baat all gaining selection. Van Wijk and Zwinkels scored six goals apiece to help The Netherlands win silver at December’s EuroHockey Indoor Championships 2022 in Hamburg, Germany. Is a third Indoor World Cup title on the cards? New Zealand Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: N/A Indoor World Cup history: Debutants  About the Team: New Zealand women will be making their Indoor World Cup debut at the event in Pretoria and will be keen to make a good first impression. Following tireless efforts in New Zealand to re-establish the international indoor teams, it will be fascinating to see how they perform on the greatest indoor stage of all. The team is coached by Gaye Tarrant, who captained Australia to their impressive sixth place finish at the 2007 Indoor World Cup in Vienna, Austria. The team is captained by Pippa Norman, whose younger sister, Beth, has also been selected. Former outdoor star Kirsten Pearce – who played 121 times for the Black Sticks, scoring 32 goals – is arguably the biggest name on their roster and could be a player to watch. South Africa Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 14 Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 10th, 2007 – 12th, 2015 – 9th.   About the Team: Returning to the Indoor World Cup stage after missing the Berlin 2018 edition, South Africa will be relishing the chance to take on the very best the world has to offer in front of a partisan home crowd in Pretoria. It is the fourth time that South Africa have competed in the Indoor World Cup, and know that they have a fantastic opportunity to surpass their previous best finish of ninth, which came at Leipzig 2015. The team were runners up in the 2021 Indoor Africa Cup, with Namibia defeating the host nation 2-0 in the competition final in Durban. The silver medal came with a silver lining, with Tegan Fourie – who will compete here in Pretoria – finishing as the competition top scorer with 20 goals to her name. Edith Molikoe is another prolific scorer for South Africa, a team that will be determined to thrill their home fans at this very special event. USA Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 12th Indoor World Cup history: 2018 – 10th   About the Team: A tenth-place finish at Berlin 2018 was a very respectable Indoor World Cup debut for USA, who will feel that they can achieve even bigger things this time around. They are the reigning Pan American champions, winning a second successive title with a 3-0 triumph over Canada at the 2021 competition on home soil in Spring

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Following a lengthy period of intense preparation, SPAR South African women’s indoor hockey coach Lennie Botha is confident that the team are ready to compete against the best in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria next month. The international event, presented by SPAR, will take place outside of Europe for the first time in its history when it is hosted at the Heartfelt Arena from February 5 to 11. South Africa are one of 12 teams in the women’s tournament and even though they have been drawn in what Botha called the “pool of death”, he is confident that the home side will be competitive.  “Success in indoor hockey is about the team making the least mistakes and then being able to take your chances,” he said. “And we all know that at a tournament anything can happen. “But the exciting thing for us is that although there is a mixture of young and old, most of the girls have played against the top countries and we have done well, so I believe we are good enough to compete.” Acknowledging that all the matches would be tough, Botha said the games against European powerhouses Netherlands, twice world champions, and Austria, fourth in 2015, would be, particularly testing. “But the goal for me is to complete the pool phases by finishing in the top eight so it would mean we have to win at least two matches,” Botha added.  “Once you get into the top eight, anything can happen and, given the tough nature of our pool, we could conceivably have a slightly easier game if we make the cross-pool playoffs.” In their other fixtures, SA will be up against Australia, New Zealand, and the US, none of whom could be taken lightly, Botha said. The team went into their final training camp in Durban on Thursday after having played a series of internationals against Namibia and Ireland in the past few months. “The one thing about a coach is that you are never completely comfortable with your preparations, but we have done everything we can, given the Covid disruptions in the last few years, to prepare as thoroughly as possible,” Botha said. “The players have been working extremely hard and I’m excited about the opportunity, not only to show what we can do, but also to showcase the sport of indoor hockey to the wider SA public.” He said he could not stress how important it was for the game to host events of this nature. “It’s great that SA Hockey has taken the bull by the horns and run with it to become the first country outside of Europe to host the World Cup “I believe it will create unbelievable exposure for the sport and this event is going to take it to another level. “For example, against Ireland in Cape Town we played in front of crowds of up 1000 people, but in Pretoria that could reach 3000, so we are extremely excited about this opportunity.” Botha also paid tribute to the role played by SPAR as the major sponsors of the World Cup and the women’s team. “Without them this would not have happened and over seven yours of sponsoring the women’s team, they have been extremely supportive. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

January 29, 2023 Indoor hockey started in Europe as an alternate way to practice hockey in the months of winter when it was too cold to play the sport outdoors. Over the years, the game has developed and evolved into the fast, skillful and action-packed version of hockey that it is today, with countries all over the world playing the sport throughout the year. With the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup South Africa 2023 starting in less than a week, find out about the rules of the sport that make it so unique and popular with hockey fans all over the world.   Pitch The indoor hockey pitch is rectangular in shape, with any indoor sports hall flooring appropriate to play on. The dimensions of the World Cup pitch will be 40 meters long and 20 meters wide, and a blue, hockey specific flooring will be used to provide the best performance for the athletes and television appearance. Contrasting, yellow colored balls will be used to stand out from the colour of the pitch.. There are boards placed on the side perimeters of the pitch (but not the backline) that keep the ball in play. The scoring circle has a 9 meter radius from the center of the goal-line and the penalty spot is marked 7 meters from the center of the goal-line. Goals The size of the goals in indoor hockey are smaller compared to outdoor hockey. The width of the goal is exactly 3 meters and it has a height of 2 meters. Goal-sideboards and goal-backboards are not necessary in indoor hockey. Teams Each team in indoor hockey consists of 6 players that includes 5 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. Teams can choose to play with 6 outfield players by not playing a goalkeeper. The total size of a squad in indoor hockey is 12 players and rolling substitutions are permitted. Length of a match An indoor hockey match is played over a course of 40 minutes, split in 4 quarters of 10 minutes each. In league matches, 3 points are awarded to the winning team, and if the result is a draw, then each team receives 1 point. During the classification stages of the Indoor World Cup, shoot-outs will be used to decide the winner. Style of play Indoor hockey requires players to possess some very similar skills to outdoor hockey, and some that are unique to the indoor format of the game. These include the ability to use the side boards to make passes and beat players, which is a crucial skill given that lifting the ball to dribble past players (the 3D skills commonly used in the outdoor game) are not permitted in indoor hockey. Lifting the ball is only permitted when a player attempts to score a goal from inside the scoring circle, by the use of a flicking motion. The flicking motion is defined as: raising the ball off the ground by placing the head of the stick under the ball and using a lifting movement. Hitting, striking or slap hitting the ball, using a swinging movement of the stick towards the ball, is not permitted anywhere on the pitch. Apart from flicking to score, the only allowed motion is pushing which is defined as moving the ball along the ground using a pushing movement of the stick after the stick has been placed close to the ball. When a push is made, both the ball and the head of the stick are in contact with the ground. The complete rules of Indoor Hockey can be found here. The sixth edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup will start on 5 February, in Pretoria. To see the complete match schedule, please click here.