Excitement is building for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu – and that’s especially true for the fistball community. From August 9 to 13, the fistball competitions will be held at Tianfu Park. Tickets for individual sessions can now be booked as part of the third round of applications.
Since June 10 at 4:00 p.m. (Beijing time), over 80,000 seats have been available for 229 competitions in 30 sports. These include powerlifting and korfball for the first time – and, of course, fistball. Tickets can be applied for by registering with your real name on platforms such as the official website of the World Games 2025 Chengdu (www.theworldgames2025.com), the official WeChat account, the Alipay mini app, the Chengdu2025 app, or the IWGA website (www.theworldgames.org).
All those whose applications are accepted will receive confirmation by SMS or email and will have priority access to tickets during the pre-sale phase. Regular ticket sales are expected to begin at the end of June 2025.
The International Fistball Association is looking forward to great competitions in front of numerous fans in Chengdu – secure your seats in Tianfu Park now!
The competition schedule for the fistball events at the World Games 2025 in Chengdu (China) has been finalized. The tournament will take place from August 9 to 13 at Tianfu Park, starting with preliminary round matches played in two groups each for men and women, followed by knockout stage encounters. With eight men’s and eight women’s teams participating, this marks the largest number of fistball teams ever represented at the World Games.
Two months ahead of the start of the 2025 World Games, the International Fistball Association (IFA) has released the official match schedule and group allocations for both the men’s and women’s fistball competitions. All matches will be held at the newly modernized Tianfu Park, which now features two competition fields and two warm-up/training fields. “Following the inclusion of the women’s fistball competition at the last edition of the Games in 2022 in Birmingham, expanding the women’s field to eight teams—matching the men’s—sends a strong signal for our sport,” said IFA President Jörn Verleger. He looks ahead to August with great anticipation: “We are confident that we will experience an outstanding tournament, supported by excellent local organization in Chengdu.”
GOLD and SILVER Groups Promise Exciting Preliminary Round Action
Eight nations will compete in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, divided into two performance-based groups. The “GOLD Group” features the top four teams from the most recent World Championships, while the “SILVER Group” consists of the next four ranked teams. The seeding was based on final rankings from the Men’s 2023 and Women’s 2024 World Championships. “We incorporated feedback from past major events when determining the groupings,” said Gastão Englert, Chair of the IFA Sports Commission. “The result promises exciting matches from the very beginning. At the same time, every team still has a fair shot at the World Games title, which was a key consideration in planning the schedule.”
High-competitive Women’s Matches on Opening Day
In the women’s GOLD Group, reigning world champions Brazil (PAFA Champion 2024), Germany (European Champion 2023, World Championship runner-up), Switzerland (3rd place, WC 2024), and Austria (4th place, WC 2024) will face off. The SILVER Group includes Chile (5th, WC), Argentina (6th), New Zealand (7th), and the USA (9th). The fistball competition kicks off on Saturday, August 9, at 9:00 AM local time with matches between Chile vs. New Zealand and Argentina vs. USA. Later that day, a replay of the first-ever women’s World Games final will take place between defending champions Germany and Switzerland (5:30 PM).
Men’s World Championship Final Revisited
In the men’s GOLD Group, defending champions Germany (World Champion 2023, European Champion 2024), Austria (WC runners-up), Brazil (PAFA Champion 2024, 3rd place WC), and Switzerland (4th WC) will compete. The SILVER Group features Chile (5th WC), Argentina (6th), Italy (7th), and New Zealand (Oceania Champion, 11th WC). The opening day promises plenty of excitement, culminating in Sunday’s SILVER Group matches—Chile vs. Argentina and Italy vs. New Zealand (4:00 PM)—and thrilling GOLD Group clashes, including a replay of the 2023 WC final between Germany and Austria, as well as Brazil vs. Switzerland (both at 5:30 PM).
Knockout Stage Begins on Day Three
The knockout rounds begin on Day 3, Monday, August 11. The top two teams from each GOLD Group will advance directly to the semifinals. The third- and fourth-placed teams from the GOLD Groups will face the top two from the SILVER Groups in crossover quarterfinals, with winners also progressing to the semifinals. The losing teams and remaining SILVER Group teams will play in classification matches for places five through eight.
On Tuesday, August 12, the first classification matches (for 5th and 7th place) will be played, followed by the four semifinals. The tournament concludes on Wednesday, August 13, when the medal matches take place: the bronze games in the morning, followed by the women’s gold medal match at 2:30 PM and the men’s final at 4:45 PM.
World Games 1985 London: Dieter Thomas (Germany) at the competition in Barnet Copthall Stadium.
Fistball and The World Games have been a great combination for four decades. At just the second edition of the multi-sport event, a men’s fistball tournament was held for the first time in London in 1985. Four nations competed, and Germany claimed the inaugural title. Udo Mehle, a striker for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, made history as part of the winning team.
Rain. That’s the first thing Udo Mehle remembers when thinking back to the 1985 World Games in August. It was the first time fistball players could present their sport on the stage of this international multi-sport event for non-Olympic disciplines—and they did so under extremely poor weather conditions. “It rained almost continuously during the entire fistball competition,” he recalls. But despite the uncooperative weather, many other moments stayed with Mehle, making those days in London truly special.
Four Teams in London
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Brazil were the four competing nations. South West Africa (Namibia) had also registered but was denied entry due to political tensions in southern Africa. The tournament format included a round-robin with home and away matches over two days to determine the semifinal pairings. The German team entered the tournament highly motivated—not only to win the first-ever World Games title but also to redeem themselves after losing the European Championship to Austria a year earlier. “After winning the World Championship in 1982 in Hanover, there had been some changes in the squad that weren’t fully settled yet,” Mehle recalls.
During that time, Mehle earned his place in the national team—something he had never dreamed of as a youth player. He started playing at age eight in Cologne and continued until age 17. “Then the team fell apart,” Mehle explains. He transferred to Leverkusen, a Bundesliga club, where the demands were suddenly much higher. “With my poor technique, I was often used as a bad example during training drills,” he laughs. But the young striker didn’t let that stop him. He worked hard and had a mentor in Udo Cymera. “Without him, I probably never would have made the national team,” Mehle admits.
Strong Performances in the Group Stage and Semis
In 1985, Mehle and his teammates had a golden opportunity to take part in The World Games. “It was definitely something special—something everyone wanted to be part of,” says the former national player. The matches were held at Barnet Copthall Stadium, alongside the tug-of-war competition. While the European teams fielded their best squads, Brazil sent a promising but inexperienced team that struggled against seasoned opponents. Mehle played right front in the matches, alongside Germany’s all-time most-capped player Dieter Thomas. “My job was to chase down short balls and be ready to step in for Dieter on the attack—sometimes even after 28 minutes without hitting a single ball.”
Germany topped the group after both legs, ahead of Austria on points, and cruised past Brazil in the semifinal (39:23). “The Brazilians arrived with sponsor logos on their jerseys, but that wasn’t allowed under the World Games rules, so they had to turn their shirts inside out,” Mehle remembers.
Heavy Rain on Final Day
That wasn’t the only odd story. The tug-of-war athletes also made a mark—literally. “They held their finals right next to our field and dug their heels so deep into the turf they reached the drainage system. It looked more like a plowed field than a lawn,” laughs Mehle. The tough conditions also affected the fistball tournament. The third-place match between Switzerland and Brazil was canceled due to heavy rain, and both teams were awarded bronze medals. The final between Germany and Austria went ahead, however. It was played over two 15-minute halves, with Germany pulling away after a tight first half (17:14) to secure victory (37:29).
Even though there was no athletes’ village, for the German team, it still felt a bit like being at the Olympic Games. “Our matches were held in the middle of the overall World Games schedule, so we didn’t take part in the opening or closing ceremonies,” says Mehle. There was also no time to watch other sports. “Still, it had a special atmosphere, a special vibe—and part of that was thanks to the great team spirit we had.”
The 1985 World Games in London would not be Mehle’s only appearance. He also made the squad for the 1989 edition in Karlsruhe, where Germany defended the title in front of 5,000 fans. Later, he served as an international referee at the 1997 Games in Lahti (Finland) and in 2009 (Taiwan), and he attended the 2005 Games in Duisburg as a spectator.
Final Standings – World Games 1985:
Germany
Austria
Switzerland & Brazil (shared bronze)
Original text: Faustball Deutschland at the 2022 World Games (Author: Sönke Spille)
The groups have been drawn for the 2025 World Tour Finals for men and women, the world championship for club teams. The top club fistball teams will compete in July at the Volksbank Stadium in Vöcklabruck. Preparations for the event are in full swing.
The preliminary round groups for the IFA Fistball World Tour Finals 2025 in Mannheim have been decided: The International Fistball Association has determined the group stage for the club world cup. Based on established guidelines, the Sports Commission drew the preliminary round groups, which will be played on Thursday, July 24, and Friday, July 25, at the Volksbank Stadium in Vöcklabruck. And they promise exciting matches for both the women and the men.
Men: Vöcklabruck aims to thrill home crowd
The Union Tigers Vöcklabruck are the team to beat in the men’s competition. After their first triumph as the world’s best club team last year, the hosts are now looking to defend their title. In the “David Lorenz” preliminary round group, they will face Clube Mercês (Brazil), Faustball Wigoltingen (Switzerland), and the South Jersey Fistball Club (USA). The preliminary round group “Michael Feichtenschlager” is likely to be extremely balanced. SG Novo Hamburgo (Brazil), winner of the 2024 World Tour and bronze medalist from last year, will face reigning European Cup winner FBC LINZ AG Urfahr (Austria), TV Vaihingen/Enz (Germany), and DSG UKJ Froschberg (Austria).
Women: Defending champions TSV Dennach face strong competition
In the women’s competition, defending champions TSV Dennach (Germany) will face Faustball Kreuzlingen (Switzerland), TSV Calw (Germany) and Clube Duque de Caxias (Brazil) in the preliminary round group named after Franz Bakan. The “Harald Bayer” group is led by last year’s finalists TV Jahn Schneverdingen (Germany) and completed by SOGIPA/Cargo Way (Brazil), SVD Diepoldsau-Schmitter and FG Elgg-Ettenhausen (both Switzerland).
All four preliminary round groups are named after Vöcklabrucker fistball personalities. They are a small tribute to four attackers who shaped the history of the fistball club in their generation.
Joint final day on Sunday
The top fistball teams will be guests in Vöcklabruck for four days, from July 24 to 27. In the preliminary round matches on Thursday and Friday, the two best teams from each group will advance to the semifinals of the World Tour Finals. These will start on Saturday, July 26, at 2 p.m. The third- and fourth-placed teams will compete in the semifinals of the President’s Cup to determine the teams that will play for 5th and 7th place. The medal matches will begin on Sunday, July 27, at 12 noon. The two finals are scheduled for 3 p.m. (women) and 4:30 p.m. (men). “We are looking forward to a tournament with many exciting matches – the participating teams definitely promise a high-class event,” says Gastão Englert, Chairman of the IFA Sports Commission.
“We can look forward to perfect conditions in Vöcklabruck,” says Sönke Spille, IFA Head of Events: ”The infrastructure at the Volbankstadion provides optimal conditions. The organizing team already has extensive experience in hosting national and international events. We can expect a great event both on and off the field.”
Host Vöcklabruck: Organizational details being finalized
For the first time, Union Tigers Vöcklabruck will host the world’s best club teams. “Preparations for the World Tour Final in July are in full swing,” says Stefan Huemer, head of the organizing committee: “At the moment, we are mainly busy with personnel planning, from the transport service to the ball boys and girls to the catering team.” The essential framework conditions are running according to plan – a large group of volunteers has been recruited for the four days of the event as well as for the days leading up to it (set-up, welcoming the overseas teams) and afterwards (breakdown).
The website will also go live shortly, including ticket sales. “The teams can expect a great, friendly fistball atmosphere in Vöcklabruck,” emphasizes Huemer: “The athletes will want for nothing!” In addition to top-class fistball, fans can look forward to excellent catering. A wine and cocktail lounge will open on Friday and Saturday at the legendary “@Toni’s,” and the Players Party will take place on the final day. “We are also working on an additional program for the overseas teams,” reveals Huemer: “The area around Vöcklabruck offers a particularly varied landscape and beautiful nature with its lakes and foothills of the Alps.”
Sportastic will provide the official match balls for the fistball competitions at the 2025 World Games in China. The IFA Fistball World Tour Finals 2025 in Vöcklabruck will also be played with balls from the Austrian sports equipment manufacturer.
It will be the big sporting highlight in the 2025 fistball calendar: from August 9 to 13, the fistball competitions will take place in Chengdu, China, as part of the World Games. Eight men’s and eight women’s teams will compete for the title in Tianfu Park. All matches will be played with Sportastic balls. The Austrian sports equipment manufacturer and the International Fistball Association are thus continuing their partnership, which has been ongoing since 2009, particularly at the World Games.
Official match balls for men and women
Fistball fans will be looking towards Chengdu for five days in August 2025. When the men’s and women’s titles in the fistball competitions of the World Games are awarded in Tianfu Park, the International Fistball Association will be relying on match balls from Sportastic. The Austrian sporting goods and sports equipment manufacturer will provide the match balls for both the men’s and women’s competitions. “We are delighted to continue our trusting partnership with Sportastic at the World Games,” says Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association: “The World Games are a great opportunity for fistball to showcase itself in a multi-sport event. It is therefore all the more important that we can rely on the proven quality of Sportastic for the match ball.” Sportastic has provided the official match balls for the fistball competitions since the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung – so this will be the fifth time in Chengdu. And, as at the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw (Poland), Sportastic will be producing its own World Games design.
“It is with great pleasure that we are once again providing the balls for the World Games in China. The decades-long success story between IFA/EFA and Sportastic is now entering the next round. It’s great that the international sport of fistball has trusted our ball quality for so long. Here’s to the next decades,” says Thomas Stadler, owner of Sportastic. The balls in the limited World Games edition are now available in the Sportastic online store (https://www.sportastic.com/).
World Tour Finals 2025 also with Sportastic
Sportastic will also be providing the match balls for the most important IFA club competition. From 24 to 27 July – just two weeks before the World Games – the IFA Fistball World Tour Finals will take place in Vöcklabruck (Austria) with the top eight men’s and women’s teams. Sportastic has been providing the match balls since the first World Tour Finals were held in 2018.
Germany and Austria have claimed the U18 World Fistball Championships in 2024. In Llanquihue, Chile, Germany’s U18 men defended their 2021 title in a thrilling 3-2 final victory over Brazil. Meanwhile, Austria’s U18 women dethroned Germany with a dominant 3-0 win, securing their own world championship title. Austria and Switzerland also claimed bronze in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
U18 Women: Austria’s Dominance Across the Tournament
Austria’s U18 women capped off an undefeated run with a decisive 3-0 (11:9, 11:7, 11:9) victory over defending champions Germany in the final. Led by the outstanding performance of main attacker Magdalena Karger, who was honored as MVP, Austria claimed their third U18 World Championship title, ending Germany’s four-title winning streak since 2014.
Switzerland clinched bronze after a solid 3-0 (11:8, 11:7, 11:8) win over Brazil in challenging conditions on the final day. After a hard-fought five-set match in the group stage, Switzerland ultimately proved stronger and celebrated their podium finish with pride.
Host Chile had already secured fifth place on Saturday evening with a convincing 3-0 (11:4, 11:5, 11:7) win over Argentina.
Final Standings:
Austria
Germany
Switzerland
Brazil
Chile
Argentina
U18 Men: Germany’s Impressive Comeback
Germany’s path to the title was not smooth. After three consecutive losses in the group stage, they narrowly avoided missing the semifinals. However, they displayed remarkable resilience from the knockout rounds onward, defeating Austria 3-2 in the semifinals before clinching victory in another close final against Brazil. The teams exchanged set wins (11:7, 11:13, 12:10, 1:11) until Germany secured the deciding set, thus defending their world title.
Austria, the current European champions, rebounded from their semifinal loss by defeating Switzerland 3-1 (11:5, 11:8, 9:11, 11:7) to claim bronze.
Host Chile defeated Denmark 3-2 (12:10, 9:11, 11:6, 7:11, 11:9) for seventh place, while Namibia rallied from a 1-2 deficit to overcome Argentina 3-2 (11:6, 14:15, 7:11, 14:12, 11:9) to secure fifth place.
Final Standings:
Germany
Brazil
Austria
Switzerland
Namibia
Argentina
Chile
Denmark
Organizers in Chile Ensure Optimal Conditions
For three days, the weather cooperated to provide ideal conditions at the Club Gimnástico Alemán Llanquihue in southern Chile. However, on finals day, players faced difficult weather, which did not diminish the festive spirit. “The organizers have created unforgettable U18 World Championships with warmth and attention to detail,” said International Fistball Association President Jörn Verleger. “The U18 World Championships are significant for us, and it’s wonderful to see so many smiles from both athletes and volunteers.”
The finalists of the Fistball U18 World Championships in Llanquihue (Chile) have been determined: Austria and Germany (U18 women) as well as Brazil and Germany (U18 men) will play for the world championship title on Sunday. And: The first places at the U18 World Championships have also already been decided.
U18 Men
It was a nerve-wracking battle between Germany and Austria in the semi-finals. Austria, who had lost just one set in seven matches in the preliminary round, went into the match against Germany as the favorites, as the defending champions had fallen short of expectations so far. However, the German team got off to the better start in the semi-final, taking a 2:0 lead. Austria managed to equalize the score at 2:2 in the meantime, but in a nerve-wracking deciding set, Germany celebrated victory and a place in the final (11:7, 11:0, 3:11, 8:11, 12:14). Brazil won the second semi-final against Switzerland. The sets were all hard-fought, but the South Americans took the points in the decisive phase (11:8, 11:9, 11:9).
The first placement matches went the full distance on Saturday evening. In the match for 7th place, hosts Chile beat Denmark 3:2 (12:10, 9:11, 11:6, 7:11, 11:9). Namibia turned a 1-2 deficit in the match for fifth place into a 3-2 (11-6, 14-15, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9) victory and ended a strong World Championship with a win. Austria and Switzerland will play the bronze medal match on Sunday (10.30 a.m. local time). Brazil and Germany will meet in the final at 13:30.
U18 Women
The two national teams from Austria and Germany put in commanding performances in their semi-finals. Austria defeated Brazil 3:0 (11:8, 11:6, 11:6), who had previously beaten hosts Chile in the quarter-finals (11:5, 6:11, 11:8, 11:7). Switzerland had also won their quarter-final (11:9, 7:11, 11:3, 11:4 against Argentina). However, the semi-final was a clear affair for Germany, who won in three sets (11:4, 11:8, 11:7).
This means that the 2021 World Cup final between Austria and Germany will be replayed on Sunday at 3 p.m. (local time). Brazil and Switzerland will play the bronze medal match (12 noon). Fifth place is already taken. This was secured by Chile – with a clear 3:0 (11:4, 11:5, 11:7) victory over Argentina.
Due to the expected weather forecast for Sunday, there has been an adjustment in the match schedule: three placement matches have been moved up to today, Saturday.
Affected matches are:
Men’s: Match for 5th place (Namibia vs. Argentina) and match for 7th place (Chile vs. Denmark)
Women’s: Match for 5th place (Argentina vs. Chile)
The matches will take place in Club Llanquihue on Saturday at 6 pm.
The tension is rising: At the Fistball World Championships U18 in Llanquihue (Chile), the first knockout duels are on the program on Saturday. Austria advanced to the semi-finals as group winners in both the female and male U18 categories. All semi-final matches will take place on Saturday afternoon.
U18 Women
Austria and Germany have come a good deal closer to a World Championship medal. On the second day of the preliminary round, the two nations made it through to the semi-finals. Austria remained unbeaten against Argentina (3:0) and Chile (3:1), while Germany beat Chile (3:0) and Brazil (3:1) to secure second place. Third place was secured by Switzerland, who not only beat Argentina 3-0, but also won the direct duel against Brazil – with the last possible point in the deciding set (3-2). The pairings for Saturday morning (11.30 a.m. local time) in the quarter-finals have now been decided: Brazil will face Chile in the South American clash. The winner of the match will face group winners Austria in the semi-finals. Germany’s semi-final opponent will be determined at the same time between Switzerland and Argentina.
U18 Men
The U18 men’s competition is on the home stretch of the preliminary round. However, the first decision has already been made: Austria remained unbeaten on the second day and thus secured group victory ahead of time. The decisive factor was the victory in the top duel with Brazil (3:1). The team had already beaten Argentina (3:0) and Namibia (3:0). Brazil are on course to secure second place, having won against Denmark (3:0) and Chile (3:0). Third place in the group goes to Switzerland, who remained unbeaten on Friday and also beat Namibia (3-0) and Argentina (3-0) after their furious 3-1 win over Germany. After Switzerland’s defeat against Denmark (3:0) and Namibia (3:1), Germany held their ground and would currently qualify for the semi-finals in fourth place. There was great jubilation for hosts Chile, who recorded their first win in the preliminary round against Denmark (3-0) and are in seventh place – behind Namibia and Argentina, who are level on points. Both teams will face each other in a direct duel on Saturday. There will also be such a direct clash between Brazil and Switzerland, who have already been confirmed as semi-finalists and will also meet in the semi-finals at 16:30 local time. The two other preliminary round matches will be between Germany and Chile and Austria and Denmark.
The U18 Fistball World Championships for men’s and women’s teams have officially kicked off with a stunning opening ceremony by Lake Llanquihue. By this beautiful lakeside backdrop, the eight participating nations were introduced to enthusiastic fans on Wednesday evening right on the beach. Following the ceremony, a welcome dinner was held for all competing teams.
A total of 14 teams will compete from Thursday to Sunday, October 30 to November 3, in the south of Chile, all fight for the prestigious world title. Every match will be streamed live on fistball.TV. The excitement is building – which team will rise as the new world champion?
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