It has been a difficult week for Zimbabwean cricket. But several thousand miles away, an 18-member men’s Over-40 hockey squad is preparing for a very different kind of international stage. Zimbabwe’s team is competing at the 2026 World Masters Hockey World Cup, running from July 22 to August 16 across Rotterdam in the Netherlands and venues in Belgium.
These are not full-time professional athletes. Many squad members are balancing day jobs, some running businesses, others working in fields with no connection to sport at all, with the training required to compete on a global stage. That combination deserves more attention than it usually receives.
Who Is Playing for Zimbabwe at the Masters Hockey World Cup?
The squad represents a cross-section of Zimbabwean life: players in their 40s and beyond who have kept hockey part of their routine well past the age most athletes retire from international competition. Daily Rush will be profiling members of the team in the coming days, looking at what drew each of them to the sport and what keeps them training at this level.
Why Zimbabwe’s Masters Hockey Squad Matters for the Sport at Home
Grassroots and masters level sport rarely gets headline treatment, but it is often where the real story of a sporting culture lives. A strong showing in the Netherlands and Belgium could help raise the profile of hockey in Zimbabwe and support its development at junior and grassroots levels.
In a week of heavy defeats elsewhere in Zimbabwean sport, this is a story of quiet resilience and national pride that deserves to be told.
Follow Zimbabwe’s Journey at the Masters Hockey World Cup
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