Kenya Angling for History at Inaugural Hockey 5s World Cup in Oman

Nairobi — The national men’s hockey team will be praying for a bright start to their Hockey 5s World Cup campaign when they face New Zealand on Sunday morning at the Hockey Oman Venue in Muscat.

The 10-man team landed in the Omani capital on Monday and had a light training session in preparation for their Pool C opener.

Kenya will also face Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday evening before rounding up their group matches against Australia on Monday afternoon.

The team will be coached by Michael Malungu — assisted by Kevin Lugalia — and comprises seasoned players who have represented the country in past international tournaments, such as Ivan Ludiali, Moses Muigai and Moses Ademba.

The hockey 5s is a shorter version of the game, which features five players on each team.

Kenya qualified for the quadrennial event following their third-place finish at the Africa qualifiers in December 2022 after beating Zambia 5-2.

Africa’s other representatives in the men’s event include continental champions Egypt — who will be in Pool B along with India, Jamaica and Switzerland — and Nigeria — who face Netherlands, Pakistan and Poland in Pool A.