With the Olympics right around the corner, what better way to get into the mood for the competition than by finding out about the teams playing? Well, you’re in luck – here’s a little bit about each of the teams in Men’s Pool A.
France
Head Coach: Fred Soyez.
Player to watch:
Victor Charlet. To use a technical term, Victor Charlet is an absolute unit. A defensive colossus for France and Belgian club side Waterloo Ducks, he is a very important part of this French outfit. His defensive presence is pretty clear to see but his prowess from penalty corners is what takes him to another level for Les Bleus.
At the FIH Nations Cup in June Charlet’s seven goals, including a hattrick in a 6-5 win over Pakistan almost fired France back into the FIH Pro League. They lost out in the final to New Zealand in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in normal time with, you guessed it, Charlet scoring an equaliser three minutes from time. France will be roared on by a buoyant home crowd and those fans will surely take to Charlet and his goals.
A little bit about France:
France’s Olympic record doesn’t make for great reading, their best finish is 4th (in 1920 and 1936) and they haven’t played an Olympics since 1972, so not much pedigree to speak of. On the European stage they’ve been a bit of a yo-yo team, dropping between the EuroHockey Championships and the second tier tournament over recent years although securing their place for a third consecutive tournament in 2025 shows there is some improvement there. France will be up against it in this tournament, no doubt. They have some good players – Charlet, Timothee Clement, Viktor Lockwood and Arthur Thieffry among them and the support of a home crowd could help them out, but in the cold light of day, you’re realistically looking at them taking some scalps rather than going deep in the tournament.
Squad: Gaspard Baumgarten, Amaury Bellenger, Victor Charlet, Timothee Clement, Eliot Curty, Brieuc Delemazure, Francois Goyet, Noe Jouin, Viktor Lockwood, Simon Martin-Brisac, Charles Masson, Christophe Peters-Deutz, Blaise Rogeau, Arthur Thieffry, Etienne Tynevez, Gaspard Xavier.
Reserves: Matteo Desgouillons, Lucas Montecot, Edgar Reynaud.
Germany
Head Coach: Andre Henning
Player to watch:
Nicklas Wellen: Pace, skill, strength, eye for goal, with 111 goals in 205 international appearances for his country he is a genuine world star.
Wellen was central to Germany’s Hockey Men’s World Cup win in 2023 with seven goals in the tournament and the Player of the Tournament award too.
He was shortlisted for the FIH Hockey Stars Player of the Year award in 2022 and many people agree he was the real winner of the award, despite him not taking home the prize.
A little bit about Germany:
The reigning world champions come into this tournament with a strong squad but with a disappointing FIH Pro League campaign under their belts. Germany finished 6th after winning just five of their 16 games in the competition. However, at the risk of straying into cliché territory, (you should never write off the Germans) Die Honamas tend to try different things out during the Pro League and have a history of hitting form at the right time in the biggest tournaments.
In Paris, four players, Mats Grambusch, Christopher Rühr, Niklas Wellen and Martin Zwicker, will be chasing a medal for Germany at the Summer Games for the third time. They were all in the squad when Germany won a bronze in Rio, along with Tom Grambusch and Mathias Müller. Of course you can’t ignore corner specialist Gonzalo Peillat, this is also his third Olympic Games. He competed for the Argentinian national team at London 2012 and Rio 2016, where he won a gold medal.
Germany have four Olympic gold medals, three World Cup gold medals and eight EuroHockey Championship wins and so their big match pedigree is undoubted and like a large number of other sides they will have genuine thoughts on making it onto the podium.
Squad:
Jean Danneberg, Mathias Müller, Mats Grambusch, Lukas Windfeder, Niklas Wellen, Johannes Große, Thies Prinz, Teo Hinrichs, Tom Grambusch, Gonzalo Peillat, Christopher Rühr, Justus Weigand, Marco Miltkau, Martin Zwicker, Hannes Müller, Moritz Ludwig.
Reserves: Alexander Stadler, Paul-Philipp Kaufmann, Malte Hellwig
Great Britain
Head Coach: Paul Revington
Player to watch:
Zach Wallace. Nominated for the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award, and then for the World Player of the Year award in 2023, Zach Wallace has established himself as a world class player. He currently plays for H.C. Bloemendaal in the Netherlands and has caught the eye with some incredible goals and some outrageous skills. He’ll be a driving force behind Paul Revington’s exciting team in Paris.
A little bit about GB:
Paul Revington has moulded this side into an exciting team to watch. They’ve been likened to the England cricket team and their “Bazball” approach with Revington unleashing GB’s array of attacking talents and allowing them to play with the handbrake off.
Second place in the 2022-23 FIH Pro League and then third in the 23-24 edition, as well runners up in the 2023 European Championships – their best finish since 2009, this is a side who is capable of competing with the very best.
Captain David Ames says they are determined to finish on the podium more and this is a group that’s more than capable of doing that. Selection has been brutal with the competition for places as fierce as I’ve known it. Some of the talent left behind is top class, so expect this team to be a threat.
Squad: Nick Park, Jack Waller, David Ames, Jacob Draper, Zachary Wallace, Rupert Shipperley, Sam Ward, James Albery, Phil Roper, David Goodfield, Ollie Payne, Liam Sanford, Lee Morton, Conor Williamson, Will Calnan, Gareth Furlong.
Reserves: James Mazarelo (GK), Tim Nurse, Tom Sorsby.
Netherlands
Head Coach: Jeroen Delmee
Player to watch:
Thierry Brinkman: Creator, goal scorer, leader, inspiration. He has gone from strength to strength and been a key part of the Netherlands squad which won the last European Championships, the 22-23 FIH Pro league and finished second in the 23-24 Pro League. He leads by example and was nominated for the FIH Hockey Stars Player of the Year award in 2022 and 2023.
A little bit about the Netherlands:
The reigning European Champions after their dramatic win over England in 2023, and the winners of two of the last three FIH Pro League titles, the Netherlands have an incredible array of talent in their squad and will be a danger to anyone.
Coach Jeroen Delmee, who won two Olympic gold medals during his playing career, sets high standards for his side and that has paid off with the emergence of a number of superb players and a medal haul that stands up to scrutiny. As well as their Euros and Pro League wins, the Dutch have also picked up a bronze medal at the World Cup whilst under the guidance of Delmee.
Young striker Duco Telgenkamp has 15 goals in 21 games and is another to watch out for alongside Brinkmann who I’ve highlighted above. Jip Janssen is pretty handy on penalty corners, too!
Seve van Ass – who was not selected for the European Championships has forced his way back into the squad to compete at his third Olympics. Jorrit Croon – still only 25 is also heading to his third games, whilst Pirmin Blaak, Jonas de Geus, Thijs van Dam, Joep de Mol, Thierry Brinkman, Lars Balk, Justen Blok and Jip Janssen are set for their second Olympics.
Like so many teams, the list of players who have missed the cut is staggering, not necessarily in terms of the decision but in terms of the talent that hasn’t made it. Terrance Pieters is a name that leaps off the page as someone who’s missed out, Maurits Visser, Teun Beins, Jasper Brinkman, Max de Bie and Guus Jansen are all players who’d get in most teams, but have not made the Oranje squad. They haven’t won the Olympic gold since 2000, is this their year?
Squad: Seve van Ass, Lars Balk, Koen Bijen, Pirmin Blaak, Justen Blok, Thierry Brinkman, Jorrit Croon, Thijs Van Dam, Jonas De Geus, Tjep Hoedemakers, Jip Janssen, Floris Middendorp, Joep De Mol, Duco Telgenkamp, Derck de Vilder, Floris Wortelboer.
Reserves: Steijn van Heijningen, Derk Meijer, Tijmen Reyenga.
South Africa
Head Coach: Cheslyn Gie
Player to watch:
The Cassiem brothers. Dayaan and Mustapha Cassiem are the two stars of South African hockey. Dayaan, a striker and Mustapha a midfielder have been plying their trade in the Hoofdklasse for HDM of late. Both players had been earmarked for greatness early on in their careers and if anyone doubted that, they were given a taste of what the Cassiems could do at the last Olympics. Belgium’s Arthur van Doren described them as “f***ing quick” after the teams met in Tokyo. Quick, nimble, skilful, fearless, if South Africa make an impact at these games, these two will be a big part of that.
A little bit about South Africa:
It’s often hard to judge where they are in terms of the rest of the teams at the Olympics. South Africa took their place at the Olympics by virtue of winning the African Olympic Qualifiers. Whilst the final against Egypt was a tight game, they had won their previous four matches at the tournament by an aggregate of 36-2. A better barometer would be the FIH Nations Cup where they were beaten in the semi-finals by France before picking up third place with a 4-3 win over Pakistan. South Africa have never finished above 10th at the Olympics and I don’t expect much to change on that front. But they can still give us some moments of magic along the way.
Squad: Dan Bell, Dayaan Cassiem, Mustapha Cassiem, Calvin Davis, Matthew Guise-Brown, Andrew Hobson, Keenan Horne, Gowan Jones, Ryan Julius, Tevin Kok, Zenani Kraai, Samkelo Mvimbi, Bili Ntuli, Brad Sherwood, Nic Spooner, Jacques van Tonder.
Reserves: Estiaan Kriek, Peabo Lembethe,
Spain
Head Coach: Max Caldas
Player to watch:
Marc Miralles. A talented midfielder who is a joy to watch, he’s really stepped up after being made captain in 2022 and has been tearing it up in the Dutch league. With Spain’s squad having a feel of a new generation mixed with some experienced heads about it, Miralles’ experience and flair has been a very important part of their transition under coach Max Caldas.
A little bit about Spain:
A team that plays an energetic, daring and attacking style, the Red Sticks are well known for being talented, yet unpredictable. They competed well in the FIH Pro League in 2022-23 but struggled at times in the 2023-24 edition, ending up in 8th place. A disappointing sixth-place finish at the EuroHockey Championships in 2023 shows what can happen when Spain don’t click but with the likes of Miralles, Jose Basterra and Alvaro Iglesias in the line up, they have the potential to score goals and to match up against anyone. In Max Caldas they have a coach who has been there and done it, winning the World Cup, Olympics and European Championships as a coach. If Caldas can get them firing, they will be dangerous.
Squad: Luis Calzado, Alejandro Alonso, Ignacio Rodriguez, Rafael Vilallonga, Jordi Bonastre, Pepe Cunill, Bruno Font, Marc Miralles, Eduard de Ignacio-Simo, Marc Recasens, Alvaro Iglesias, Gerard Clapes, Joaquin Menini, Marc Reyne, Jose Maria Basterra, Xavier Gispert
Reserves: Rafael Revilla, Marc Vizcaino, Borja Lacalle
The Top of the D 