Both Black Sticks sides will turn their attention to salvaging as much as they can during the classification stage at the 2026 Hockey World Cup. It was a difficult final day of pool matches for both New Zealand teams. The men were defeated 7-1 by Argentina and the women fell to Spain 3-0. The men went into their final Pool A match against Argentina knowing the stakes were high. A place in the top eight was on the line. New Zealand made the perfect start, earning a penalty stroke. Otago’s Kane Russell stepped up and calmly converted. Argentina responded to level the match before halftime. New Zealand had competed well through the opening half, but Argentina found another level in the third quarter. Once they had momentum, the Argentinians capitalised on their opportunities and extended their lead before running away with the game in the final stages. New Zealand coach Greg Nicol said the team was disappointed with the result but will now turn their attention to the remaining matches of the tournament. "We played very well for long periods, we just did not cope well when Argentina found their momentum and the game got away from us,’’ Nicol said. “There are still three matches to go at the World Cup. We will reset and fight to finish ninth at the tournament.” The result saw the Black Sticks men finish third in Pool A, with one win from their three matches. They now join Japan, Wales and Pakistan in Pool G in the 9-12 playoffs. Over in Wavre, the Black Sticks women defended strongly throughout the opening half of their game with Spain. Spain created the majority of the attacking opportunities but was unable to find a way through. The breakthrough finally came in the third quarter. Spain took the lead before adding two more goals late in the match. The result sees the Black Sticks women finish fourth in Pool C. They now join Ireland, USA and Scotland in Pool H in the 9-12 playoffs.
