Austria and Uruguay Claim Victory in Hockey WC Qualifiers
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Key Takeaways
Hyderabad, March 14 (NationPress) In a thrilling display at the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026, Austria and Uruguay emerged victorious in their classification matches held at the G. M. C. Balayogi Hockey Ground within the Gachibowli Sports Complex on Saturday.
Austria kicked off the action by securing a hard-fought seventh place with a 1-1 (2-1 SO) triumph against Korea during the 7/8th place clash. Kristine Vukovich opened the scoring for Austria in the 3rd minute, while the captain of Korea, Lee Yuri, equalized in the 31st minute. Both goalkeepers shone during the shootout, but it was Michaela Streb who propelled Austria to victory, with Carla Kemper netting the decisive goal.
In the day’s second clash, Uruguay confirmed their fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026 by defeating Wales with a commanding 3-0 scoreline in the 5/6th place encounter. The goals for Uruguay were scored by Teresa Viana (23’), Magdalena Verga (36’), and Lupe Curutchague (57’).
Earlier, Uruguay had showcased their dominance with a 3-0 victory over Austria in their previous match held on Friday for the 5/8th place. The goals came from Teresa Viana (21', 44') and Captain Manuela Vilar (4').
In the opening match of the day, Wales triumphed over Korea with a score of 2–1 during their 5/8th place battle. The goals for Wales were scored by Captain Elizabeth Bingham (49’, 53’), while Yeongeun Park (46') found the net for Korea.
The FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers 2026 event in Hyderabad is approaching its conclusion, with the hosts, India, and England having already secured their spots in the final.
Three direct World Cup berths were up for grabs in Hyderabad, with the winner of the Scotland-Italy match claiming the third spot. The upcoming World Cup will feature 16 teams in both men’s and women’s categories, with nine teams in each already having qualified, paving the way for an intensely competitive qualification round.
A total of eight teams—including hosts India, England, Scotland, Korea, Italy, Uruguay, Wales, and Austria—contended for the three coveted qualification slots for this global event.