Wales beat Malaysia to finish 15th at Hockey World Cup

Ben Francis is one of three co-captains in the Wales squad alongside Gareth Furlong and Jacob Draper [Getty Images] Wales finished 15th in their second appearance at the Hockey World Cup following a shootout victory over Malaysia in Wavre, Belgium. Malaysia had held Wales to a 2-2 draw before Jack Pritchard and Jolyon Morgan scored in the shootout to secure a final position in line with their 15th-place world ranking. Wales, who finished 11th at their debut World Cup in 2023, are largely an amateur set-up and raised nearly £40,000 through crowdfunding to help cover costs while at the tournament, which was hosted jointly in the Netherlands and Belgium. Danny Newcombe's side will now turn their attention to next summer's EuroHockey in England. The competition runs from 28 July until 8 August. Wales qualified for the 12-team tournament by winning the 2025 EuroHockey II Championship with a shootout win over Ireland . The women's team also qualified for the tournament for the first time in 24 years as they reached the final of the 2025 EuroHockey II Championship. Wales Hockey World Cup 2026 results Saturday, 15 August India 3-1 Wales (Pool D) Amsterdam, Netherlands Monday, 17 August Pakistan 3-3 Wales (Pool D) Amsterdam, Netherlands Wednesday, 19 August England 8-2 Wales (Pool D) Amsterdam, Netherlands Saturday, 22 August New Zealand 7-2 Wales (9th-16th classification) Amsterdam, Netherlands Monday, 24 August Japan 3-2 Wales (9th-16th classification) Amsterdam, Netherlands Friday 28th August Wales 2-2 Malaysia [2-1 shootout] (15th place play-off) Wavre, Belgium