Argentina Beats Netherlands 3-1 in Shootout, Ends Dutch Bid for Fourth Straight World Cup Title

Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 in a shootout on Saturday to win the Women's Hockey World Cup at Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, denying the host nation a fourth straight title.

The match finished 1-1 after regulation. Netherlands forward Yibbi Jansen, the tournament's top scorer and the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champion, put the Dutch ahead in the 30th minute with a penalty corner drag flick, her eighth goal of the World Cup, according to NDTV. Argentina captain Maria Granatto equalized in the 54th minute off a rebound, converting a penalty corner to bring Argentina level with six minutes remaining, sending the final to a shootout. According to NDTV, Argentina had earned eight penalty corners in the match by that point, and NL Times likewise reported the Dutch defense faced eight penalty corners total from Argentina over the course of the game.

Argentina won the shootout 3-1. Victoria Granatto, Brisa Bruggesser and Sofia Cairo scored for Argentina, while a goal from Zoe Diaz was disallowed after video review found a back-stick contact, according to NDTV and The Hockey Paper. For the Netherlands, Marijn Veen scored while Pien Sanders, Felice Albers and Freeke Moes all failed to convert, per NL Times and The Hockey Paper.

Argentina goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino was named Player of the Match, according to the Times of India, after a string of saves both in regulation and during the shootout that kept the Dutch attack at bay.

Breaking a 16-year drought

The win was Argentina's third Women's Hockey World Cup title, following championships in 2002 and 2010, and their first since 2010. It also marked the first time since that 2010 final that the Netherlands had lost a World Cup final, according to the Times of India. The Hockey Paper put the streak at 25 consecutive matches unbeaten at Women's World Cups, and noted the Dutch fell just short of a full decade unbeaten at major championships dating to their 2016 Rio Olympics final defeat.

The Netherlands had won the previous three World Cup finals in 2014, 2018 and 2022, and entered Saturday's final as world No. 1 and reigning Olympic champion, according to Olympics.com. The Hockey Paper tallied the Dutch program's all-time Women's World Cup record at 217 matches played, 192 wins, 17 draws and now eight losses.

The final was also a rematch of the 2022 World Cup final, which the Netherlands won 3-1, and the Tokyo Olympics gold medal match, which the Dutch also won by that identical scoreline, according to NDTV. Saturday's result reversed that trend.

A veteran's last match

The defeat came in the final match of Xan de Waard's career, the Netherlands' most experienced international player with 252 caps, according to NDTV and The Hockey Paper. De Waard made the last defensive play of regulation time before the match went to a shootout.

The path to the final

Argentina reached the final by beating Australia 1-0 in the semifinal on August 28. Julieta Jankunas converted a penalty corner in the 47th minute, according to Chase Your Sport. The Netherlands needed a dramatic one-goal win over Belgium in their semifinal, surviving a late disallowed goal, according to NDTV.

Belgium's Red Panthers claimed the bronze medal by beating Australia 1-0 in the third-place match earlier Saturday, with Charlotte Englebert scoring the only goal, according to Rediff. It was Belgium's first Women's World Cup bronze since 1978.

What's left in Belgium and the Netherlands

The tournament, held across two venues with 16 women's teams competing over two weeks, according to Olympics.com, still has one final left to play. The men's World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, August 30, with Spain facing defending champion Germany at 16:30 CEST at the new Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium. Germany reached that final by beating Argentina's men's team 2-1 in the semifinal, moving one win from matching Pakistan's record of four men's World Cup titles, according to Chase Your Sport.

For the Dutch women, Saturday's loss prompts questions heading into the next Olympic cycle: whether this was a one-off shootout upset against a team they had already beaten twice on the biggest stages, or the start of a genuine changing of the guard atop women's international hockey.