Floyd Chomba, the coach of the Zambia Hockey 5s National team, has described the group Zambia has been placed in for the Hockey 5s World Cup as a fair group. Zambia has been placed in Group B alongside Australia, Ukraine, and South Africa. Mr Chomba said that Zambia will not underestimate any team at the World Cup as all the teams will be working to impress at the inaugural tournament. Zambia qualified for the inaugural World Cup after finishing 3rd at the Africa Hockey 5s Tournament in Egypt. The coach also revealed that they anxiously waited for the draws, stating that he is pleased with the group the team has been drawn into. However, there is no chance for underestimation as all the teams will undoubtedly give their best. He believes Australia will provide Zambia with tough competition as they are a hockey powerhouse nation and are better ranked than Zambia. However, he remains optimistic as anything can happen with the 5s being the first-ever senior format. "This is the first of its kind, the first World Cup with the Zambian team, and the first for the 5s format, so this is something big for us, and we will go full force. We expect the players to give their best and progress from the group stages to the knockout stage and fight hard for the semi-final," the coach said. Mr Chomba further added that the team will have to train on a field similar to the ones in Oman to prepare adequately. He emphasized the importance of the team going into camp as soon as possible because the field in Zambia does not match the one that will be used at the World Cup, saying it's best they camp outside the country. In conclusion, he appealed to all Zambians and the corporate world to support the team in their preparation for the prestigious games set for 24th to 27th January 2024.