Club Gimnasia Guatambú in Montecarlo, Argentina (Misiones province), will host the tenth Women’s Fistball World Championship. The world title matches will take place from 7 to 10 November 2024.

It is October 7, 1994 when a new era in international fistball begins in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For the first time in history, a match was played at a Women’s World Championship. Eight nations, four from Europe and four from South America, took part in the three-day world championships. 30 years later, the circle is now complete. From November 7 to 10, the women’s fistball team will return to Argentina for the tenth edition of the World Championships. The International Fistball Association (IFA) has awarded the event to Club Gimnasia Guatambú from Montecarlo in the province of Misiones.

Guatambú host a Women’s World Championship for the first time

This is not the first top international event to be held at the Club Gimnasia Guatambú. In the past, the club hosted the IFA 2009 Fistball Masters World Cup and the Men’s & Women’s South American Championship 2017. As recently as September, the Argentinian championship was held at the venue in the north-east of the country with 18 participating teams. However, this is the first time that Guatambú is hosting a world championship. “We would like to thank Club Guatambú for taking on the organization of the event. The World Championship is the biggest event in women’s fistball. After two recent World Championships in Europe, we are looking forward to returning to South America,” says IFA President Jörn Verleger. The last two World Championships were held in Linz (2018) and Grieskirchen (2021), with Germany winning the title on both championships. Verleger: “We are convinced that many nations will take part, continuing the positive development of women’s fistball and showing the diversity of our sport.”

Preparations for the Women’s World Championship have already started in Montecarlo. “It is a great honor for us that the best female fistball players in the world will be our guests in Guatambú in November 2024,” says Laura Laumann, secretary of the fistball subcommittee of Club Guatambú: “For our club, it will be the biggest event in history so far. We are proud and motivated to host a great World Championship.”

“Just a few weeks ago in Guatambú, we saw the passion with which the people in the club are doing everything to organize a great event,” says IFA Head of Events Sönke Spille: “All participating players, staff members and fans can look forward to an incredibly friendly atmosphere and great conditions.”

Qualifying event for the World Games

The 2024 Women’s Fistball World Championship will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China. “In addition to the continental champions, the best-placed teams at this World Championship will get their ticket to Chengdu,” explains Spille. After the premiere in 2022 in Birmingham (USA) with six teams, a total of eight nations will qualify for Chengdu in 2025.

It will be the second international fistball event to take place in South America in the autumn of 2024. From 31 October to 3 November, the best youth teams will compete in Llanquihue (Chile) for the Fistball Men’s and Women’s U18 World Championships. One week later, the best women’s teams will be guests in Argentina. “We see great advantages in the two consecutive events,” says Spille: “South America will be the hub of international fistball for two weeks.”