The IFA Women’s Fistball World Championship kicked off with a festive opening ceremony. Just as the ceremony began, rain started to fall, and the event was quickly moved indoors to the gym. Representatives from the city and the region attended the official start, where all participating teams were introduced with a parade.

A special highlight of the ceremony was a performance by a regional folklore group, who captivated the audience with traditional Argentine dances, marking the start of the Welcome Dinner. With this festive opening, all attendees were set for the upcoming sporting highlights of the championship.

Before the opening ceremony, teams had the opportunity to train on the sports facility and familiarize themselves with the field conditions. During the Technical Meeting, delegation leaders received all essential information to ensure smooth operations for the days ahead.

11 teams from four continents will compete in the Women’s World Championship. All matches will be broadcasted on http://www.fistball.tv.

Due to a last-minute adjustment, the match schedule had to be slightly modified: the Friday 10 a.m. match between Namibia and the USA will now swap with Thursday’s 10 a.m. game between the USA and Colombia.

The world of fistball turns its eyes to Montecarlo, Argentina, as the IFA Women’s Fistball World Championship 2024 brings together eleven nations from four continents to compete for the title, promising thrilling performances and athletic excellence. The International Fistball Association (IFA) not only celebrates the international field of participants but also a major success in raising the media presence of fistball: there will be extensive coverage of the games in Germany and Austria.

Thanks to the IFA’s efforts and its partner, Sports Forward, a last-minute broadcasting agreement was reached with SWR (Südwestrundfunk) in Germany and ORF in Austria. This agreement includes extensive coverage and live broadcasts that will bring the sport of fistball to a broader audience. SWR will stream all games of the German national team live on its website, swr.de/sport, with commentary in German. Additionally, the SWR Sport YouTube channel will broadcast all matches featuring the German team live. Further coverage is planned on the Morgenmagazin (Moma), Mittagsmagazin (Mima), as well as online and in sports news, further spreading the fascination of fistball.

In Austria, ORF will air an extended highlight show of the World Championship on Tuesday, November 12, during prime time on ORF Sport+, and the women’s championship will also be featured in ORF sports news. The collaboration with ORF and SWR was made possible by the positive experiences and successful partnerships established during the Men’s World Championship 2023 and the World Tour Final 2024, which were also successfully broadcast by both SWR and ORF.

These partnerships mark an important step for the IFA and the sport of fistball, ensuring that the athletes’ performances and tournament emotions are accessible worldwide. IFA President Jörn Verleger emphasized, “Thanks to the collaboration with SWR and ORF, the World Championship gains a new level of visibility. We are proud to offer such an experience to sports fans in Germany and Austria.”

All games will be livestreamed on fistball.tv, with games featuring Germany available exclusively on SWR channels for German audiences.

Which nation has the best women’s national fistball team in the world? This question will be answered from November 7 to 10 in Montecarlo. The city in the northwest of Argentina is the location of the 10th Fistball World Championship. Eleven teams will compete on the venue of the organizing club Club Guatambú. Exactly 30 years after its premiere, the Fistball World Championship is returning to Argentina.

Women’s World Championship returns to Argentina

Preparations have entered the final straight and the excitement is growing day by day: from November 7-10, the Club Guatambú venue will be the hotspot for women’s fistball worldwide. Eleven nations will be competing in the world championships over the four days. For women’s fistball, it is a return to its place of origin. The first Women’s Fistball World Championship was held in Buenos Aires in October 1994. Now, 30 years later, the best women’s fistball teams are returning to Argentina. “It’s great that we are back in Argentina with a Women’s World Championship,” says Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association: “The organizers have been working with great commitment on the preparations for a year. In combination with the great performances of our athletes, the World Championship is sure to generate great enthusiasm!”
11 nations take part – Qualifying competition for the World Games

Defending champion Germany, who took the crown at the last event in Grieskirchen in 2021, leads preliminary round Group A, in which the top teams from previous years are seeded. These include Switzerland (2022 World Games finalists), Brazil (Pan American champions) and Austria (2021 World Cup finalists). Group B features the two South American nations Argentina and Chile as well as New Zealand and Australia from Oceania. The field of participants is completed by Namibia, the USA and Colombia in Group C. The IFA Sports Commission used the results of past top events to determine the groups.

“We expect even more matches at eye level from the division of these groups and are convinced that this will further increase the number of exciting matches,” says its chairman Gastão Englert. After the preliminary round, Groups B and C will determine the participants for the quarter-finals on Saturday in an intermediate round on Friday evening. “Every team has the chance to win the world title,” says Englert. The semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The final match will take place on Sunday, November 10, at 4:45 p.m. local time. The 2024 Women’s Fistball World Championship will also serve as a qualifying competition for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China.
 
Premiere for hosts Club Guatambú

This is a premiere for Club Guatambú: Having hosted the IFA Masters (2009) and the Pan-American Championships (2017), among others, in the past, this year will be the first time they host a Fistball World Championship. “It is a great honor for us that the best fistball players in the world will be our guests in Guatambú,” says Laura Laumann, secretary of the Fistball Committee at Club Guatambú: “For our club, it will be the biggest event in history so far. We are both proud and motivated to give everyone a great World Championship.”

Livestream of all World Championship matches

The event will kick off on Wednesday with the official opening ceremony and the welcome dinner for the teams. From Thursday, the matches on the fistball court will be on the program. 33 matches will take place over the four days of the event, and the organizers have put together a diverse program for spectators around the two courts. There will also be two Schools Days. “Over the past few months, the organization team, led by Patricia Stopp and Laura Laumann, has done everything possible to create the best possible conditions for teams and fans,” says Sönke Spille, IFA Head of Events. Among other things, the sports facilities have been modernized and the first mobile structures have been erected in the last days. “Everyone can look forward to a very warm atmosphere,” announces Spille. Tickets are available at the box office during the four days of the event. There will also be a live stream of all matches on www.fistball.TV.

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.

During the U18 World Championships we will hold elections for three U18 athletes to serve as representatives on the IFA Youth Commission and IFA Athletes’ Commission. The candidates were presented during the 6th Youth Congress.
The elected U18 representatives will serve for a term of 2 years or until the next IFA Fistball U18 World Championship in 2026.

The elected athletes will become active members of the IFA Youth Commission and as youth representative in the Athletes’ Commission, participating in various projects and decisions related to youth development in fistball. Their role is to ensure that the voice of young fistball players is heard and considered in the commission’s work, such as improving youth events and promoting the attractiveness of fistball among young athletes.

Election process:
The election will take place online during the World Championships. All athletes participating in the World Championships are invited to vote their representatives online. The voting link will be shared during the event.

These are the 7 candidates in alphabetical order:
Jonas Aigner, AUT
Daria Eckerstorfer, AUT
Lia Monteiro, BRA
Felix Rockenschaub, AUT
Kathrin Schmitz, GER
Anna Wagner, AUT
Torben Winterbach, NAM

Here are the videos of the nominees:

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?

The best youth fistball teams in the world with their eyes on the world championship title: After a three-year break, the Fistball World Championship for men and women U18 will take place from October 31 to November 3 in Llanquihue, Chile. After 2006 – about 18 years later – the U18 World Championships will once again be held in the south of Chile. 8 teams in the male U18 and 6 teams in the female U18 will take part in the World Championships.

Preparations are also in full flow and the countdown is on: From October 31 to November 3, the club grounds of Club Gimnástico Alemán Llanquihue will once again host the best U18 national teams. There could hardly be a more beautiful location for a U18 World Championship. The grounds, which are located directly on Lake Llanquihue with a view of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes, have earned a reputation in the past as one of the most beautiful fistball grounds in the world. The best young fistball teams are now visiting Chile for four days. “The joint staging of the 2nd World Championships for men’s U18 and 1st World Championships for women’s U18 in January 2006 was a great success,” says Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association (IFA): ”Club Llanquihue and the Fistball Association in Chile have already proven several times in the past what great fistball events they can organize. We are convinced that the next one is coming up in the next few days.”

14 national teams compete

Following India’s withdrawal, 14 teams – 8 in the men’s U18 and 6 in the women’s U18 – will compete for the title in Llanquihue. In the U18 men’s competition, defending champion Germany will be up against strong competition. From Europe, European champion Austria, Switzerland and Denmark will be competing at the World Championships, while the teams from South American champions Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Namibia (Africa) will be joining them from America. In addition to defending champion Germany, Austria, Switzerland (all Europe), Brazil, Chile and Argentina (America) will be competing in the women’s U18 competition.

The format is almost identical in both competitions. The national teams will first play matches against every other nation in a preliminary group before moving on to the other rounds. All matches will be played in a best-of-five format. “We want to give young fistball players the opportunity to play a match against every nation. Especially at a young age, we think it is important that as many matches as possible take place,” explains Gastao Englert, Chairman of the IFA Sports Commission: ”We are looking forward to many exciting matches.”

All matches in the livestream

Interested fans who are not traveling to Chile can still follow the matches. The organizers in Chile, in cooperation with the International Fistball Association, are planning to broadcast all matches – from Field 1, 2 and 3. “This has never happened before at a U18 Fistball World Championship,” says Sönke Spille, IFA Head of Events & TV Production: “We are pleased that fans at home will not miss any of the matches and will therefore be spoilt for choice as to which of the three streams, some of which will run simultaneously, they would like to watch.” Field 1 will be broadcast with live commentary in English.

Organizers plan program

Even before the first matches of the U18 World Championships, there are already a number of events planned. On Tuesday, October 29, the IFA Youth Congress will take place under the direction of the new chair of the IFA Youth Commission, Emma Dallinger. With the official opening and the Welcome Dinner on Wednesday, October 30, everything will be ready for the upcoming games. The organizing club Llanquihue will also be offering an extensive supporting program for fans from near and far during the four days of the competition. In addition to the matches in the preliminary and final rounds, there will be a big party on the club grounds. “We will do everything we can to ensure that the delegations and fans feel at home here,” announces Rodrigo Böttger from the World Championship organization team: ”We are looking forward to a great Fistball World Championship here in Llanquihue.”