NEW DELHI: Michel Struthoff’s 44th-minute strike proved enough for Germany to retain its men’s Hockey World Cup title with a 1-0 win over Spain in the final at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, on Sunday. Spain, appearing in their first World Cup final, enjoyed the greater share of possession and chances for long stretches but were unable to find a way through the German defence.
The Red Sticks continued to push in the final quarter, even withdrawing their goalkeeper with just under four minutes remaining in search of a miracle, but Germany held firm to successfully defend their title.
While Germany matched Pakistan’s all-time record of four titles, Spain’s wait for the gold medal continued as the Redsticks finished runner-up for the third time after 1971 and 1998. Agencies
FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup winners:
1971 — Pakistan (beat Spain 1-0)
1973 — Netherlands (beat India 4-2 on penalties)
1975 — India (beat Pakistan 2-1)
1978 — Pakistan (beat Netherlands 3-2)
1982 — Pakistan (beat West Germany 3-1)
1986 — Australia (beat England 2-1)
1990 — Netherlands (beat Pakistan 3-1)
1994 — Pakistan (beat Netherlands 4-3 on penalties)
1998 — Netherlands (beat Spain 3-2)
2002 — Germany (beat Australia 2-1)
2006 — Germany (beat Australia 4-3)
2010 — Australia (beat Germany 2-1)
2014 — Australia (beat Netherlands 6-1)
2018 — Belgium (beat Netherlands 3-2 on penalties)
2023 — Germany (beat Belgium 5-4 on penalties)
2026 — Germany (beat Spain 1-0)
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