The participation of the South African men's team in the Hockey World Cup ended in bitter disappointment after they lost to Pakistan in a penalty shootout. This took place at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, where the match finished with a score of 4:3.
South Africa's campaign in Belgium and the Netherlands concluded with different emotional outcomes: the men suffered a defeat to Pakistan in a penalty shootout, while the women were narrowly beaten by Ireland in the final classification match.
FIH Hockey World Cup
The South African men's team was very close to securing 11th place before Pakistan won in a penalty shootout following a thrilling 4:4 draw at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium. Initially, South Africa looked dominant, leading 2:0 early in the match thanks to Trevor de Lore and captain Dayan Cassiem. However, Pakistan managed to equalize and then take the lead 3:2 early in the second half.
Mustafa Cassiem, who became one of the standout players for South Africa during the tournament, leveled the score in the third quarter and returned the African champions ahead five minutes before the end of the match. His penalty conversion was the eighth goal of the tournament, but South Africa could not hold on to the victory as Pakistan equalized in the last minute, leading to a penalty shootout.
Dayan Cassiem and Calvin Davis converted South Africa's first attempts, and Mustafa also scored after Rana Wahid Ashraf of Pakistan missed a chance to win. Nevertheless, two subsequent misses proved fatal. As a result, South Africa finished 12th overall, although Mustafa admitted that the manner of defeat was hard to accept.
After the match, he stated: 'As you can see from my emotions, it is quite painful. We wanted to come out and play well. It is a difficult stage of the tournament. When you have two or three days rest, you just have to aim to finish strongly. This is not the best result. It is so disappointing. I think, honestly, we let it slip ourselves. We had a 2:0 lead, and they equalized by the end. These are things we need to learn from.'
Preparation is key
For Cassiem, this disappointment also highlighted a broader issue accompanying South Africa's campaign: preparation. He noted: 'Perhaps if we had more time to prepare for this tournament, together, things wouldn't have happened. Preparation is the key to success, and in my opinion, we did not have enough preparation. Unfortunately, this applies to us as a nation, and it is simply not good enough.'
Nevertheless, the South African men's team finished the tournament strongly after defeats to Spain and Ireland in the group stage. They drew 2:2 with three-time champions Australia, then beat France 3:1, and drew 3:3 with Malaysia. Mustafa finished the tournament with eight goals, setting a record as South Africa's top scorer in the World Cup, while his brother Dayan marked his 100th international appearance during the tournament.
The South African women's team finished 14th in the FIH Hockey World Cup after losing to Ireland 1:0 on Thursday morning. The women's team concluded its campaign in 14th place after being defeated by Ireland 1:0 in the 13th-place playoff.
South Africa demonstrated disciplined defensive play and frustrated Ireland for a long time, but Michelle Carey's goal in the 14th minute proved decisive. This result allowed the women to improve their standing by one spot compared to 15th place at the 2022 World Cup, despite a tough group campaign against England, India, and China. The South Africans showed great resilience in the classification phase, drawing 1:1 with Japan, and then beating Chile 3:2, which was their first victory in the tournament. Although they failed to finish the campaign with another win, this tournament provided valuable experience for a squad featuring a strong mix of Olympians and rising stars.
However, for both teams, the World Cup also underscored the need for greater investment and preparation if South Africa wants to consistently challenge leading global hockey powers.