The 12 best men’s and women’s teams from around the world are converging in Pretoria, South Africa for the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023.
Everything you need to know about the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup as Australia’s Women’s and Men’s teams attempt to finish on the podium for the first time.
The sixth edition of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup runs from 5-11 February
Watch LIVE
All matches of the Indoor World Cup will be available live in Australia through Watch.Hockey
Venue
Heartfelt Arena is a privately owned Indoor Arena built in the former SADF era, known then as the Saambou Arena. The venue is currently used for religious gatherings and indoor sport events. Temporary seating has been erected to accommodate a capacity of more than 3,000 spectators.
Women’s Pools
Pool A: Australia, Austria, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, USA
Pool B: Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Ukraine
Women’s Pool A Preview
Men’s Pools
Pool A: Austria, Belgium, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand
Pool B: Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Iran, South Africa, USA
Men’s Pool B Preview
Australian Women’s Team Match Schedule – Pool Matches
Australia v United States
5 Feb 2023, Start Time 10:50am local (7:50pm AEDT)
New Zealand v Australia
6 Feb 2023, Start Time 9:20pm local (7 Feb 6:20am AEDT)
Australia v Netherlands
7 Feb 2023, Start Time 10:50am local (7:50pm AEDT)
South Africa v Australia
8 Feb 2023, Start Time 8:10pm local (9 Feb 5:10am AEDT)
Australia v Austria
9 Feb 2023, Start Time 1:10pm local (10:10pm AEDT)
Australian Men’s Team Match Schedule – Pool Matches
Australia v South Africa
5 Feb 2023, Start Time 9:40am local (6:40pm AEDT)
Australia v Argentina
6 Feb 2023, Start Time 3:30pm local (7 Feb 12:30am AEDT)
Australia v Iran
7 Feb 2023, Start Time 8:30am local (5:30pm AEDT)
Australia v Czech Republic
8 Feb 2023, Start Time 9:20pm local (9 Feb 6:20am AEDT)
Australia v USA
9 Feb 2023, Start Time 12:00pm local (9:00pm AEDT)
Complete tournament match schedule
Where to Watch
Every match of the tournament will be available to watch in Australia on Watch.Hockey. A tournament subscription is just USD $3.99.
Tournament Format
The format of both the men’s and women’s competition see the twelve qualified teams being divided into two pools of six teams. The top-4 teams in each pool will qualify for the quarter finals.
In the quarter-finals the team that finish at the top of each pool will meet the fourth-placed team from the opposite pool. The #2 and #3 finishers will also face-off in the knock-out quarter-final phase.
The winners of the quarter-final matches will move into semi-finals and the medal matches, with the losing teams playing for placement. There will also be placement games for the teams that finish outside the top four in each pool, with 5v5 and 6v6 contests taking place.
What they said…
Steve Willer, Head Coach (Australian Men’s Coach)
“We are excited to be playing at the Indoor World Cup in South Africa. A new and different experience from previous World Cups. As a team we are focused on taking the next step and improving from our 2018 performance in Berlin. The Indoor World Cup in South Africa will be an amazing event and the whole team is looking forward to stepping up to the challenges it will bring and proving ourselves on the world stage against the best.”
Emma McLeish and Lizzy Duguid (Australian Women’s Co-captains)
“The group is excited to finally be able to test ourselves against the best in the world after a lengthy preparation due to COVID. Being able to share the experience with this group of girls is something we both cherish and cannot wait to take the field together.”
Australian Women’s Team
World Cup Team
Caitlin Burns (NSW), Erin Burns (NSW), Aymee Dowell (QLD), Elizabeth Duguid (WA), Samantha Economos (ACT), Litiana Field (NSW), Estelle Hughes (NSW), Kelsey Hughes (NSW), Emma McLeish (NSW), Madeleine Murphy (TAS), Emma Scriven (NSW), Annelyse Tevant (QLD)
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.
Australian Men’s Team
World Cup Team
Nathan Czinner (NSW), Ben Hanlan (NSW), Brendan Hill (ACT), Josh Gregory (NSW), James Knee (VIC), William Orth (NSW), Ryan Pace (WA), Ben Rennie (WA), Jake Sherren (VIC), Ben Staines (ACT), Jake Staines (ACT), Jackson Willie (QLD)
Current FIH Indoor World Ranking: 10
Indoor World Cup history: 2003 – 8th, 2007 – 8th, 2011 – 7th, 2015 – 10th, 2018 – 4th
About the Team: Australia have featured in every edition of the Men’s Indoor Hockey World Cup played to date, earning a reputation as a team to be feared. They produced a series of outstanding performances at the 2018 Indoor World Cup event in Berlin, Germany, storming into the semi-finals before suffering a narrow 2-1 loss at the hands of eventual champions Austria. Defeat to Iran in the bronze medal match was a painful ending for the inspirational Aussies, who proved definitively that they can mix it with the very best. Three players from Berlin 2018 have been selected for the 2023 competition in Pretoria, with James Knee, Jake Sherren and goalkeeper Ben Rennie –competing in his third Indoor World Cup – being given their chance by head coach Steve Willer, who was also in charge of the team in Berlin. The squad contains twin brothers Ben and Jake Staines, who will both be looking to make a big impression at their first Indoor World Cup competition.
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