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.