Namibia men’s field hockey head coach Johann Weyhe has welcomed the Africa Cup of Nations draw, saying he is content with the group his side will compete in at the upcoming continental showpiece.

Both the men’s and women’s national teams will feature at the tournament, set for 11–18 October in Ismailia, Egypt. Namibia’s men’s team were drawn in Group A alongside South Africa and Nigeria, while the women’s side will face a tougher test in Group A against South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.

The men’s campaign gets underway on 11 October against Nigeria, followed by a clash with neighbours South Africa on 15 October. Meanwhile, the women’s team will open their tournament on 11 October against Ghana, then face South Africa the next day. They continue against Nigeria on 14 October, Kenya on 15 October, before wrapping up their group fixtures against hosts Egypt.

Reacting to the draw, Weyhe said Namibia has every reason to be optimistic, as he believes in the current crop of players the team has. “I am happy with the group. I believe it’s a decent draw where all teams are capable of going through. It isn’t that tough, and I believe our tight competition comes from our arch-rivals, South Africa,” he said.

On their readiness and preparations, Weyhe said training has been ongoing for months. “We have our practices every Tuesday and will continue building up, possibly with friendly games and a training camp to sharpen combinations and teamwork. I am happy with the players and what they can bring to the table at such competitions,” he noted.

However, the coach raised concerns over the financial burden on players. “It’s a costly exercise, and players will need to pay a participation fee. We do not want anyone left out because of financial constraints, so we are calling on government, stakeholders, and sponsors to come on board and assist,” he appealed.

The coach also revealed that the provisional squad has already been selected and is awaiting official submission to the Namibia Hockey Union before being forwarded to the Namibia Sports Commission for final approval. “We have a preliminary team selected for this competition, but we would have to engage the union first and get approval before putting out the names for the public,” he said.

mkambukwe@nepc.com.na