Namibia Clinch Nkosi Cup Bronze with Convincing Win Over New Zealand

Namibia Clinch Nkosi Cup Bronze with Convincing Win Over New Zealand. Namibia’s women’s indoor hockey team secured the bronze medal at the Nkosi Cup tournament in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon following a dominant 6–1 victory over New Zealand in the third-place playoff.

Led by captain Kiana-Ché Cormack, Namibia took control early and went into halftime with a 3–1 lead. The team extended its advantage in the second half, while no goals were recorded during the fourth quarter, sealing a comprehensive win and a place on the podium.

The bronze-medal performance came from a youthful Namibian squad that competed without several regular senior players. The team included six schoolgirls from 2025 who made their international debuts during the tournament. Despite this, Namibia lost only two matches across the competition, both against hosts South Africa, including the semi-final played on Monday night.

Namibia had previously defeated South Africa in both the 2023 inaugural Nkosi Cup final and the 2024 final, making this year’s losses notable encounters between the two sides.In the playoff against New Zealand, Namibia’s goals were shared across the team. Tamara Grögli and Jerrica Bartlett each scored twice, while Danja Meyer and captain Kiana-Ché Cormack added one goal apiece. The scoring spread highlighted the team’s attacking depth throughout the match.

Namibian players also featured prominently on the tournament’s goal-scoring charts. Ahead of the final between South Africa and Australia, Kiana-Ché Cormack and Tamara Grögli were both on six goals for the tournament, while Sunelle Ludwig contributed four goals.

Namibia’s tournament campaign included victories over Zimbabwe (7–3) and New Zealand (7–3), a 2–2 draw with Australia, and narrow defeats to South Africa in the group stage and semi-final. The bronze-medal match win capped a consistent run of performances in Cape Town.

The result adds another podium finish to Namibia’s recent record in the Nkosi Cup and concludes the team’s 2025 tournament campaign on a positive note.