There is something about a World Championship that brings out the very best in people. The preparation, the sacrifice, the belief, the sheer determination to represent your country on the world stage. And here in Paraguay, as the World Skate Games move towards their climax, we are seeing all of that in abundance.

The group stages have given way to the knockout rounds, the margins have narrowed, and the stakes have risen. Some of the established powers have stumbled, others have found another gear, and the tournament has delivered precisely the sort of drama that makes international sport so compelling.

Today, I was finally there to witness it for myself, and what a day to arrive.

Senior Women: Spain and France March On

The Senior Women's semi-finals delivered two contrasting encounters, with Spain and France emerging victorious to set up a fascinating gold-medal final.

Spain faced the formidable USA, a team whose relentless forechecking and physical aggression have made them such a difficult opponent throughout the tournament. But the Spanish were not to be unsettled. They played with supreme confidence, maintaining their composure under pressure and refusing to be drawn into the Americans' preferred style of play.

USA were certainly not short of effort. Their forechecking was fierce, their physical presence unmistakable, and Laura Veharanta remained highly active. Yet Spain were simply too clean and too careful. They defended efficiently, closed down opportunities and made the most of the chances that came their way. They created fewer openings than their opponents, but those they did create proved more dangerous.

Even the Americans' talismanic Allison Era, whose influence has been so significant throughout the competition, struggled to impose herself in quite the way we have come to expect.

It was a deserved victory for Spain, who now have the opportunity to claim the gold they narrowly missed against USA last year. There is unfinished business here, and they will enter the final knowing that they have already overcome one of the tournament's most formidable challenges.

France, meanwhile, had a different task against Namibia.

The Stars of Africa came flying out of the blocks, opening the scoring inside two minutes and immediately threatening to extend their remarkable run. But France have pace, flair and an attacking energy that can be difficult to contain, and as the game progressed, the balance began to shift.

The French relentless tempo increasingly overwhelmed the Namibian defence. By the second half, Namibia appeared to be feeling the effects of their demanding tournament, while France continued to find another gear. Their style is clean, professional and efficient, almost formulaic in its execution, but it was their superior pace and energy that ultimately proved decisive.

France won 5–1, 2 of those goals only once the Namibians and pulled the goalie in their last attempt to catch up, ending Namibia's previously perfect record and booking their place in the gold-medal game.

For Namibia, the defeat was clearly deeply felt. The players had given so much to reach this stage, and there was a palpable sense of disappointment as they absorbed the result on the rink. But their tournament is not over. Like the Americans, they have one more opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a medal.

And so we have our finals for the World Cup 2026.

Spain versus France for gold. USA versus Namibia for bronze.  Join us live on World Skate tv to see those Friday 9th.  

USA and Namibia: One More Battle

The bronze-medal match now carries a story of its own.

These are two teams arriving at the same crossroads from very different directions. USA entered the tournament with enormous expectations, but their progress was not entirely straightforward. Namibia, meanwhile, have been one of the competition's great revelations, defeating the Americans 3–2 in overtime during the group stage and building a reputation that few would have predicted before the Games began.

The Americans have looked increasingly settled as the tournament has progressed. Their hockey is classy, sharp and distinctly team-oriented, with a structure that speaks of careful preparation and extensive drilling. They can play themselves into a competition, and the quarterfinal stage provided a powerful illustration of their capabilities.

But Namibia have already demonstrated that USA can be beaten.

Now both must recover from the disappointment of their semi-finals and summon the energy for one final contest. USA will want to demonstrate that their growing momentum can carry them to the podium. Namibia will be determined to show that their extraordinary run deserves a medal to accompany the memories.

The Americans have the structure and experience. Namibia have belief, confidence and the knowledge that they have already beaten their opponents once.

Junior Men: Knockout Hockey at Its Finest

While the Senior Women were battling for places in the final, the Junior Men's competition was producing drama of its own.

Two results in particular stood out: France's 3–2 victory over Spain and Italy's remarkable overtime comeback against Slovakia.

France versus Spain was a match that could have gone either way at almost any moment. Both sets of supporters were in full voice, creating a wonderfully charged atmosphere as the teams traded blows in a balanced and absorbing contest.

The final two minutes were a spectacle in themselves. Spain threw everything they had at the French defence, peppering the goal in a desperate attempt to keep their tournament alive. France had to withstand that late assault, defending their advantage under immense pressure until the final whistle.

It was a wonderful example of what knockout hockey can deliver: two evenly matched teams, passionate support and a finish that kept everyone watching until the very end.

For Spain, the defeat brings their Junior Men's campaign to a close. For France, it opens the door to a place in the final and another opportunity to demonstrate their quality on the international stage.

Italy's encounter with Slovakia was every bit as compelling for different reasons.

The Slovaks established an early advantage, leaving Italy with a considerable challenge if they were to keep their tournament alive. But the Italians refused to surrender. They fought their way back into the contest, gradually overturning the deficit before eventually claiming a 4–3 victory in overtime.

It was a remarkable effort from a team that had looked so confident during the group stages. Italy had been unbeaten coming into the knockout rounds, but this was a different test altogether. Their attacking quality was never in doubt; their ability to recover when the game turned against them was the real story.

Slovakia will be disappointed to have let such an advantage slip as the former world champions, but Italy deserve enormous credit for the determination that carried them through.

These are the moments that define a tournament. The group stage establishes reputations, but the knockout rounds demand something more. There is no second chance, no opportunity to make amends in the next group fixture. Every shift, every opportunity and every defensive stand can decide a team's fate.

And in Paraguay, the drama is certainly building.

Leighzené Coetzee: An Exam at Dawn, a Hero at Night

Sometimes, amid the scores, the standings and the pursuit of medals, a story emerges that reminds us why these championships mean so much to the athletes who compete in them.

For Namibia's Senior Women's team, Leighzené Coetzee has been a standout performer. Her name appears prominently on the tournament's scoring leaderboard, with 19 points from six games, including 14 goals. But those figures tell only part of the story.

Coetzee has been playing hockey since she was four years old. She began with the Scorpions club in Otjiwarongo before moving to Coastal Pirates in Swakopmund at the age of 14. Her career has since taken her to France, where she played for Riss Orangis in the professional women's league during the 2025–26 season. She is due to return for the 2026–27 campaign.

Yet alongside her international hockey career, Coetzee is also working towards another important milestone: her Cambridge International A-level examinations.

She applied for special permission to sit two exams in Asunción so that she could compete at the World Inline Hockey Championships. Unfortunately, the timing meant that she ultimately had to sit her examinations at the same time as students back home in Namibia.

On 7 October, she rose at 4:30am, called an Uber and travelled to sit her A-level Statistics examination at 6:00am.

Later that same day, she took to the rink for Namibia's quarterfinal against Italy.

With the score at 2–2, Coetzee scored the equaliser. Then, in overtime, she scored the winner to send Namibia through with a 3–2 victory.

An examination at dawn, followed by two decisive goals on the international stage.

It is an extraordinary illustration of the demands these athletes balance, and of the dedication required to compete at this level. Coetzee isn't simply a name near the top of a scoring table: she is a young athlete balancing international sport with an important academic milestone.  The Coetzee name is something to carry in Inline Hockey as well, with her brothers playing professionally around the world and legendary Namibian stars themselves.

Her story also gives us a personal connection to Namibia's wider tournament narrative. The Senior Women's team have captured attention with their performances, and Coetzee's individual contribution helps explain the commitment behind that achievement.

Although Namibia's gold-medal ambitions ended against France, Coetzee and her teammates still have an opportunity to leave Paraguay with a medal. Their bronze-medal match against USA is now the final chapter in a remarkable campaign.

The Stars, the Storm and the Final Word

The World Skate Games have reached the point where the stories of the tournament begin to converge.

Spain have earned their chance to claim Senior Women's gold, while France stand between them and that ambition. USA and Namibia must put their semi-final disappointments behind them and find one final performance when the bronze medal is decided.

In the Junior Men, France's victory over Spain and Italy's extraordinary comeback against Slovakia have shown that reputation alone counts for little when the knockout rounds begin. The margins are small, the atmosphere is growing, and the stakes are rising with every game.

And then there are the individual stories: Leighzené Coetzee sitting an examination at dawn before scoring twice in a dramatic overtime victory; Namibia's players absorbing the pain of defeat before preparing for one last chance; and the Spanish side carrying the hope of finally claiming the title that escaped them last year.

This is what makes international sport so compelling. The statistics tell us who scored, who won and who advances. But behind every result are the years of preparation, the sacrifices made away from the rink, and the emotions that surface when everything is on the line.

The storm has not yet passed over Paraguay. There are medals to be decided, champions to be crowned and memories still waiting to be made.

The final battle is almost upon us. And the Inline Hockey world is watching. Join us live today on World Skate TV for all the compelling action.