France, Georgia, Germany, and Montenegro advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup Division 2 tournament in Malta.
Since Australia, which has already qualified as the host for the Final Eight, isn’t among the top 4 in Malta, it’s clear that only the finalists of the tournament will secure their spots at the F8.
On Sunday, Montenegro and France will meet in the derby, while Georgia and Germany will face off in the second semifinal.
France recorded the narrowest win in the quarterfinals. It beat Neutral Athletes, the top-placed team in the Group Phase, 14:13. However, it wasn’t a very exciting game. France was four steps ahead midway through the second quarter (7:3). The Russians attempted to come back but unsuccessfully. Before the final quarter, the French led 10:7 and controlled the game until the end. Two minutes before the end, they were still three goals ahead of the rival (14:11). Neutal Athletes scored their 13th goal only a second before the end. Thomas Vernoux was a hero of the win. He found the net eight times. Daniil Merkulov scored four for Neutral Athletes.
Montenegro beat Romania 14:8. Strahinja Gojkovic made the difference by scoring five goals.
Germany defeated Australia 14:11. The “Sharks” dictated the pace for most of the match. Late in the third period, they led 10:7, but Germany ruled the field over the final 09:04 minutes, scoring seven and conceding only one. Captain Denis Strelezkij contributed six goals to a 14:11 victory.
Ukraine surprised Canada yesterday, but couldn’t cause another upset. Georgia proved too strong for Ukraine, defeating it 20:9. Valiko Dadvani scored five goals.
2026 World Cup, Division 2, Day 5
Quarterfinals
Neutral Athletes – France 13:14 (2;2, 3:6, 2:2, 6:4)
Ukraine – Georgia 9:20 (2:3, 4:5, 1:5, 2:7)
Australia – Germany 11:14 (3:3, 5:4, 2:2, 1:5)
Montenegro – Romania 14:8 (2:3, 6:2, 2:2, 4:1)
Classification 9th – 16th place
Quarterfinals: Brazil – Portugal 14:9, Malta – Argentina 16:15, Canada – Turkiye 15:14, Slovakia – China 16:13
Classification 17th – 20th place
Semifinals: Kazakhstan – Slovenia 13:18, Singapore – Poland 10:19
Classification 21st – 23rd place
Semifinals: South Africa – Hong Kong 23:22. Great Britain bye.
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