New Zealand vs Ireland Preview & Prediction | 2026 Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup | First Round
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New Zealand takes on Ireland in this second set of pool play fixtures in Wavre.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – not televised / USA – USA’s matches will be televised live on CBS
How to watch online: UK – British home nation matches can be streamed live for free on Channel 4 Sport YouTube, while all matches can be streamed live on FIH Watch.Hockey / USA – USA’s matches can be streamed live on CBS digital platforms, while all matches can be streamed live on FIH Watch.Hockey
New Zealand vs Ireland prediction
These two nations were each involved in high-scoring encounters on Sunday. Whilst Belgium overwhelmed New Zealand offensively to win 5-2, Ireland put up a better fist of things vs Spain, eventually going down 3-2 following a late Spanish goal. The Irish deserve credit for the fight shown but it’ll be hard to pick themselves up following that defeat.
Neither team impressed defensively in their respective first games and based on what we saw from the pair, it’s likely that we see another contest with a significant number goals, especially with each desperately needing to win. With that in mind, back over 4.5 of them to be scored by the close of play.
New Zealand vs Ireland tip: Over 4.5 total goals
