Indoor World Cup bursts into action

From dazzling dribbles to stunning saves, the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup will burst into action in Croatia today as the sport’s elite players showcase their finest skills to place their nations.Namibia’s men’s team – once again with goalkeeper DJ Strauss as captain and Trevor Cormack as coach – will set out on their quest of achieving a similar run as in the previous World Cup in South Africa in 2022, where they qualified for the quarter-finals.The Namibian men start their campaign with their opening match against Belgium today, at 14:10 (Namibian time). Belgium will be firm favourites considering the gap in the world rankings (third vs 14th).Coach Shayne Cormack’s Namibian women’s side, captained by Gillian Hermanus, is placed 12th on the world rankings. They will take on the 5th-ranked Australia at 16:30 today.Porec is a harbour town on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. The town is almost 2 000 years old, with a population of approximately 12 000 residing mostly on the outskirts, while the wider Porec area has a population of approximately 16 600 inhabitants.The 2025 Indoor Hockey World Cup will be hosted at the Zatika Arena, an indoor sports venue with a seating capacity of 3 700.INDOOR WORLD CUP TEAMS – WomenPool A: Czechia, Belgium, USA, Croatia.Pool B: Austria, South Africa, Poland, Thailand.Pool C: Australia, Germany, Namibia, New Zealand.INDOOR WORLD CUP TEAMS – MenPool A – Austria, South Africa, Poland, Croatia.Pool B – Iran, Argentina, Germany, Malaysia.Pool C – Belgium, Australia, Namibia, Trinidad & Tobago.The top eight teams from across the three pools (the top two in each group, plus the two best third-placed teams) will go through to the quarter-finals. The remaining teams will play in the 9th-12th position playoffs. An added incentive is that a top 6-finish for an African team earns the continent an additional spot at the 2029 Indoor World Cup.&bull; NAMIBIA MEN’S player squad (with jersey numbers):1 David (DJ) Strauss (captain and goalkeeper) / 2 Richter van Rooyen (goalkeeper) / 5 Liam Hermanus / 6 David Britz / 7 Fagan Hansen / 8 John-Paul Britz / 9 Cody van der Merwe / 10 Nico Neethling / 12 Dakota Hansen / 13 Pieter (Ernest) Jacobs / 14 Matukaramove Kavikairiua / 19 Brynn Cleak.&bull; NAMIBIA WOMEN’S player squad (with jersey numbers):1 Petro Stoffberg (goalkeeper) / 3 Azaylee Philander / 4 Sunelle Ludwig / 5 Kiana-Ché Cormack / 7 Danja Meyer / 8 Jivanka Kruger / 9 Jerrica Bartlett / 10 Jaime Henckert (goalkeeper) / 12 Gillian Hermanus (captain) / 15 Jahntwa Kruger / 19 Taramarie Myburgh / 20 Marika Neethling.

Indoor World Cup bursts into action

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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Indoor World Cup bursts into action

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-17

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