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Germany beat Australia 4-2 in Wavre to reach the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026, scoring three times in eight minutes after falling behind early. Spain’s 1-1 draw with Belgium was enough to take the second qualifying place on goal difference. Australia drop into the fifth-place game and hosts Belgium into the seventh.
Wavre, Belgium: Australia had the better of the opening three minutes and led inside them. It bought them nothing.
Blake Govers put the Kookaburras ahead in the third minute at the Belfius Hockey Arena. What followed was the passage that decided Pool F and, with it, Australia’s tournament — three German goals in eight minutes.
Eleven, Twelve, Nineteen
Müller levelled in the 11th minute. Struthoff put Germany ahead sixty seconds later. Warweg made it three in the 19th, and the match had turned completely inside a quarter.
Joel Rintala pulled one back for Australia in the 30th to make it 3-2 at the interval. Von Montgelas added a fourth in the 40th minute and the contest was effectively finished.
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That both Australian goals were field goals rather than penalty corners tells its own story about how well Germany defended their set pieces across the match. Coach Andre Henning called it the best hockey his side had played in two years.
The Route Back for the Champions
Germany’s second round had begun badly. They lost 2-1 to Spain on Friday, a defeat that included a clearance error from goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg and left the defending champions needing a result on the final day.
Their first round had been solid rather than spectacular — a routine 5-1 win over Malaysia, a 1-0 defeat of hosts Belgium, and a flat 1-1 draw with France. Under genuine pressure, they produced their best hockey of the fortnight.
Spain Hold On, Belgium Go Out
The pool’s other match was considerably tighter and just as consequential. Van Doren put Belgium ahead in the fourth minute, and the hosts held that lead for more than forty minutes.
Miralles equalised for Spain in the 46th. Neither side found a winner, and the point was enough. Spain finish level with Australia on four points but ahead on goal difference — level at 0 against the Kookaburras’ −1.
Belgium finish bottom of Pool F and go into the seventh-place game at their own World Cup. Australia, three-time champions, play for fifth.
The Semi-Final Picture
Germany top Pool F with six points and Spain take second. Under the format introduced for this edition, teams carry forward points earned against the side that qualified alongside them, and the two pool winners now wait on Pool E, which concludes on Monday with Argentina against India and the Netherlands against England in Amstelveen.
The semi-finals are on Friday: the Pool E winner meets the Pool F runner-up in Amstelveen, and the Pool F winner faces the Pool E runner-up in Wavre.
Results — 23 August 2026, Men’s, Pool F
Germany 4-2 Australia (Müller 11′, Struthoff 12′, Warweg 19′, Von Montgelas 40′; Govers 3′, Rintala 30′)
Spain 1-1 Belgium (Miralles 46′; Van Doren 4′)
Final Pool F standings: Germany 6 pts (+2); Spain 4 (0); Australia 4 (−1); Belgium 2 (−1)
Venue: Belfius Hockey Arena, Wavre
