Subahan Hails Speedy Tigers For Qualifying For Fourth Straight World Cup Finals  

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal has hailed the Speedy Tigers’ achievement in qualifying for the 2026 Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands from Aug 15-30.

He lamented the negative perceptions many held after the Speedy Tigers failed to get on the podium in the World Cup Qualifiers in Ismailia, Egypt, on Saturday (March 7).

He said that in their haste to focus on the team's position in the qualifiers, many missed the fact that Malaysia's success in securing their place in the World Cup was a significant achievement, as only the 16 best teams will feature in the Finals.

"To me, it's not a disappointment. We have qualified for the World Cup, and that in itself is a major achievement. Many don't realise that. 

"Although we lacked sponsorships and funding, we still qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time. So, I don't see any reason for us to be too negative about it,” he told reporters after the Working Committee Meeting (JKK) 2026 at the National Sports Council (NSC) here today.

Subahan said he will hold a meeting with the players and coaches when the team returns home to analyse their overall performance and draw up improvement plans ahead of upcoming tournaments.

The national men's hockey team lost 4-5 to Japan in the third-fourth placing playoff match in the Qualifiers on Saturday.

However, Malaysia still qualified for the 2026 Hockey World Cup Finals based on their current world ranking of 15th, ahead of Wales (16th) and Poland (20th), who battled for third place in the other qualifying tournament in Chile.

The top three teams from each qualifier and the highest-ranked fourth-placed team advanced to the World Cup.

-- BERNAMA