Kookaburras squad named for 2026 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
National Men's Selection Panel names 18-player squad for the 32nd edition of the tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 to 28 November
Hockey Australia has today named the 18-player Kookaburras squad to contest the 2026 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, from 20 to 28 November.
Queensland's Matthew Hawthorne and Victoria's Duncan Jackson, are set to make their Kookaburras debuts in Ipoh with the squad blending World Cup experience with emerging talent. Eight members of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup squad return, including co-captain Tim Howard, Nathan Ephraums, Lachlan Sharp and goalkeeper Jed Snowden. They are joined by Davis Atkin, Dylan Downey, Ian Grobbelaar, Magnus McCausland and Lachlan Rogers, who all earned their first Kookaburras squad call-ups this year.
Several of the squad's emerging players arrive in strong form. Jackson was named Player of the Tournament and top goalscorer at the 2026 U21 National Championships. Ian Grobbelaar scored both goals, including a 59th-minute winner, as the Burras beat India 2–1 in the 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup final in Malaysia, where Magnus McCausland was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
World No. 3 Australia will face Pakistan, hosts Malaysia, Canada, Korea and the USA in a six-team round robin, with the top two sides advancing to the final on 28 November. The Kookaburras open their campaign against the USA on Friday 20 November.
The tournament is the Kookaburras' first international hit-out since the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup and forms a key part of the team's preparation for the 2026–27 FIH Pro League season.
Hawthorne and Jackson are two of five squad members from Hockey Australia's inaugural Talent Accelerator 2032 (TA32) cohort, alongside Dylan Downey, Ian Grobbelaar and Magnus McCausland, with non-travelling reserve Oliver Stebbings also part of the program. TA32 gives 21 of the country's most promising young athletes individualised support on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
The selection of five TA32 athletes reflects the growing strength of the national pathway, which will be anchored by Hockey Australia's new Centre of Excellence, currently under construction at Curtin University in Perth. The Centre will be the home of the High Performance Program and will share coaching, performance science and analytics across state programs and clubs nationally.
Australia is the most successful nation in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup history with 10 titles, the most recent in 2018.
Kookaburras squad – 2026 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
- Davis Atkin, ACT
- Cooper Burns, VIC
- James Collins, WA
- Nathan Czinner, NSW
- Dylan Downey, NSW
- Nathan Ephraums, VIC
- Cambell Geddes, WA
- Ian Grobbelaar, WA
- Anand Gupte, ACT
- Matthew Hawthorne, QLD
- Tim Howard, QLD
- Duncan Jackson, VIC
- Craig Marais, VIC
- Magnus McCausland, TAS
- Lachlan Rogers, TAS
- Lachlan Sharp, NSW
- Jed Snowden, VIC
- Jack Welch, TAS
Non-travelling reserves: Dylan Brick (ACT), Max Larkin (TAS), Oliver Stebbings (TAS), Thomas Wycherley (QLD)
Kookaburras fixtures (local time, Ipoh, AWST = MYT)
- Friday 20 November: Australia v USA, 3:00pm AWST / 6:00pm AEDT
- Saturday 21 November: Australia v Korea, 5:15pm AWST / 8:15pm AEDT
- Monday 23 November: Australia v Pakistan, 5:15pm AWST / 8:15pm AEDT
- Tuesday 24 November: Australia v Malaysia, 7:30pm AWST / 10:30pm AEDT
- Thursday 26 November: Australia v Canada, 3:00pm AWST / 6:00pm AEDT
- Saturday 28 November: Finals — 5th v 6th at 3:00pm AWST / 6:00pm AEDT; bronze medal match at 5:30pm AWST / 8:30pm AEDT; final at 8:00pm AWST / 11:00pm AEDT
