Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
Zimbabwe’s Under-21 hockey teams are brimming with belief ahead of the 2025 Junior Africa Cup, which runs from tomorrow to April 25 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Captains of both the men’s and women’s teams have expressed confidence in their squads’ readiness to perform and represent the nation with pride at the continental tournament. The men’s side will be led by Mutsawashe Kanyangarara, while Tinodiwanashe Elijah will skipper the women’s team.
Kanyangarara said morale is high in camp, and the players are eager to take to the turf after weeks of intense training.
“The energy levels are high. In Egypt it was a tough one, but there’s a lot we learned. We have a few players who were at the previous tournament. We are grateful, we are happy and we are ready to go. Coach Prince (Mwale) has really been good. We’ve put in a lot of practice. The gents have been pulling up to training, and everyone has been committed. Even the guys who’ve been out of the country — we stayed in touch, kept our camp going, kept everyone going and motivated,” said Kanyangarara.
Elijah echoed the optimism, noting that experience gained from previous appearances will be invaluable this time around.
“Having played the Africa Cup three times, we are excited. We have good experience under our belt and we are ready for the competition. Thank you for the support. I hope we make you proud and we will do our best,” she said.
At stake are the final three men’s and women’s spots for the upcoming FIH Junior Hockey World Cups 2025, to be held in India (men’s) and Chile (women’s). The global tournament will, for the first time, feature an expanded format with 24 teams in each competition.
In the men’s division, Africa’s challenge will come from Egypt, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe — all vying for three coveted World Cup berths.
The teams are split into two pools. Pool A features Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa. Zimbabwe are in Pool B alongside Egypt and Zambia. Each team will face the others in their pool once, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-finals.
Semi-final winners will not only reach the final but also automatically qualify for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup India 2025. The losing semi-finalists will battle it out in the bronze medal match, with the winner claiming the final African ticket to the global stage.
On the women’s side, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe will compete for three World Cup spots.
The six teams are also split into two pools. Pool A includes Namibia, South Africa and Uganda, while Pool B features Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. As with the men’s tournament, the top two teams from each group will proceed to the semi-finals.
The two semi-final winners will qualify for both the final and the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2025, while the bronze medal winner will claim the last World Cup berth. — @brandon_malvin
