FINLAND DREAMLAND

S'pore men's floorballers bounce back from Games nightmare to seal world c'ship spot

- Deepanraj Ganesan

Vice-captain Keanen Poon playing against the Solomon Islands on Jan 17. Singapore won 31-3 and finished top of their group in the Asia-Oceania qualifiers.

(PHOTO: INTERNATIONAL FLOORBALL FEDERATION)

Gathered in front of a live stream at the lounge area of the Scots College in Wellington, New Zealand, the Singapore men's floorball squad counted down the last 10 seconds of the Philippines' World Floorball Championship (WFC) qualifier with New Zealand on Jan 17.

Then pandemonium erupted as the match ended 5-5, confirming Singapore's place at the top of their five-team group in the Asia-Oceania qualifiers ahead of the Filipinos which sealed a spot at the 2026 WFC in Tampere, Finland.

Singapore won three matches and drew one in the group stage of the Jan 13-19 Asia-Oceania qualifying tournament at the Akau Tangi Sports Centre to finish with seven points, with the Philippines a point behind in second after two draws and two wins.

In the other five-team group, Thailand edged out Japan for top spot.

Singapore, who are 17th in the world rankings, will meet 13th-ranked Thailand in the final on Jan 19.

The scene in the Singapore team's dormitory was a far cry from the disappointment they endured at the SEA Games in Thailand a month ago.