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Germany beat Spain 1-0 in Wavre through Michel Struthoff’s 44th-minute goal to retain the men’s Hockey World Cup and equal Pakistan’s record of four titles. Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in a shootout in Amstelveen after a 1-1 draw to win the women’s crown for the first time since 2010.
Wavre, Belgium: Germany entered the Spanish circle once in the third quarter on Sunday. They scored, and won the World Cup.
Spain had nine shots on goal across the match, 24 circle entries and four penalty corners. Germany had one moment and took it. That is roughly how they have won everything for the past four years.
Struthoff’s One Chance
With 80 seconds left in the third quarter, Germany broke against the run of play and released Michel Struthoff inside the circle. Luis Calzado committed early. Struthoff went round him and passed the ball into an empty net.
Before that, Jean-Paul Danneberg had held Germany in the match. Borja Lacalle’s reverse-stick effort from the top of the circle in the second quarter was the pick of Spain’s chances, and Danneberg got a glove to it. Spain won three short corners in the third quarter alone; Pepe Cunill and captain Marc Miralles could not convert. With just under four minutes remaining Spain took Calzado off for an extra outfield player, generated more corners, and still could not find a way through.
Christopher Ruhr, named Player of the Match, said afterwards that nobody had given Germany a chance this year and that the win had proved the doubters wrong, before adding that his side had the lucky end of a tough game.
Level With Pakistan
It is Germany’s fourth world title after 2002, 2006 and 2023, which draws them level with Pakistan at the top of the all-time list. They are also the first nation to put together two separate runs of back-to-back titles.
ALSO READ: Three goals in five minutes give India their best World Cup finish in 52 years
André Henning had only nine of the players who won in 2023 available for this campaign. Germany had already lost to Spain once earlier in the tournament, and none of it mattered by Sunday evening in front of a 10,000 sell-out. Spain, beaten in World Cup finals in 1971 and 1998, are still waiting for a first.
Jansen, Then Granatto
The women’s final in Amstelveen the previous evening had a different shape and the same ending: one team dominant, the other holding on and then striking.
The Netherlands, three-time defending champions and reigning Olympic champions, went ahead 51 seconds before half-time when Yibbi Jansen converted the game’s first penalty corner. Cristina Cosentino had already come off her line to deny Pien Dicke one-on-one in the opening quarter, and she kept out Jansen’s drag-flick again shortly after the restart.
Argentina spent most of the second half on the front foot and won eight penalty corners in all, missing with almost every routine. The eighth was the one. With six minutes left, María Granatto got to the rebound first and buried it. Nobody scored again.
Cosentino Decides It
Pien Sanders went first for the Netherlands, tried to turn away from Cosentino, and lost the ball. Argentina moved 2-0 ahead. Cosentino saved or deflected three Dutch attempts in all, and Sofía Cairó — who had done the same against Belgium at Paris 2024 — converted in the fourth round to finish it 3-1.
It is Argentina’s third world title, after 2002 and 2010, and all three have come against the Netherlands. Cosentino was named Player of the Match and said she had simply focused on the ball. Belgium beat Australia 1-0 through Charlotte Englebert’s 18th-minute goal to take bronze, their first since 1978.
The evening also ended the career of Xan de Waard, the two-time Olympic champion and two-time FIH Player of the Year, who had announced her retirement during the tournament. Thomas Bach presented the medals.
India’s Fortnight
India’s women beat Germany 3-1 in the fifth-place match on Thursday — Ishika on 43, Navneet Kaur on 44 and 47, Lynn Krings replying late — to record their best World Cup finish since they came fourth in the inaugural 1974 edition. Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 50 lakh for the squad.
The men finished eighth. They led Belgium through Abhishek in the sixth minute, went behind, and Harmanpreet Singh twice hauled them level, the second from a penalty corner with 26 seconds left. Belgium won the shootout 4-3, Vincent Vanasch denying Harmanpreet and Sukhjeet Singh. Harmanpreet ended the tournament with eight goals, among the leading scorers. Amit Rohidas won his 250th cap in the same match.
Men’s final: Spain 0 Germany 1 (Michel Struthoff 44′)
Player of the Match: Christopher Ruhr (Germany) · Venue: Belfius Hockey Arena, Wavre
Bronze: Netherlands 1 (Floris Middendorp 49′) Argentina 2 (Tomás Domene 41′, Matías Rey 59′)
Women’s final: Netherlands 1 (Yibbi Jansen, penalty corner, just before half-time) Argentina 1 (María Granatto, six minutes from time) — Argentina won the shootout 3-1
Player of the Match: Cristina Cosentino (Argentina) · Venue: Wagener Stadium, Amstelveen
Bronze: Belgium 1 (Charlotte Englebert 18′) Australia 0
India: women 5th, men 8th
