Belgium ended a 48-year wait for a Women’s Hockey World Cup medal after beating Australia 1-0 in the third-place playoff at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen on Saturday. Charlotte Englebert scored the decisive goal in the second quarter as the Red Panthers secured bronze.
The first quarter ended goalless, and Belgium took its 1-0 advantage into half-time before neither side scored in the final two quarters. Australia earned penalty corners during the latter stages of the match but could not find an equaliser.
The bronze is Belgium’s first World Cup medal since it finished third at Madrid 1978. The Red Panthers had finished sixth at the previous World Cup in 2022. Australia, meanwhile, missed the podium after having won bronze in 2022, when it defeated Germany 2-1 in the third-place match.
Published on Aug 29, 2026
