Having dominated proceedings in the group stages of the Central South Africa qualifiers, the Namibian senior men’s and women’s hockey teams have booked spots for the hockey African Cup of Nations (Afcon). 

This is after the teams finished top of their respective groups.   The teams will, however, still compete in the finals for formality, where they will square off against runner-ups  Zambia  in the
women’s category, and Zimbabwe in the men’s. 

The men’s hockey team topped their group with a total of nine points, followed by Zambia with six points, Zimbabwe in third, and Eswatini finishing fourth with zero points. 

The men kicked off their campaign in style, thrashing Eswatini 28-0, followed by a 5-2 victory over host nation Zimbabwe.

In their final match, they secured a 5-0 win against a stubborn Zambian side.

The women’s team also had a strong showing, starting their campaign with a 20-0 win over Eswatini.  They then recorded a 2-0 victory against Zimbabwe, before drawing 1-1 with Zambia in their final group match. 

These results placed them at the top of their group with six points after recording two wins and a draw.  Speaking after the game yesterday, the team captain Kiana Cormack expressed confidence ahead of the final, saying “We are extremely happy with the result
since it secured our spot in the final. It was a very tough game, and it could have gone either way, but we put our goals away and that’s the most important thing. We are looking forward to meeting them in the final again,” she said. – mkambukwe@nepc.com.na