From New Zealand and Australia to the USA, from defending champion Germany to Namibia and from Switzerland to host nation Argentina – the list of participating nations is long. When the world’s best female fistball players compete for the world championship title in Montecarlo (Argentina) from November 7 to 10, there will be more teams at the World Championships than ever before. Twelve nations from all continents have registered for the tenth Women’s Fistball World Championship in history. The title fights are being organized by Club Guatambú from the province of Misiones.

Record champions, returners and world championship newcomers

The defending champion, the national team from Germany (9 World Championships participations), will compete in Montecarlo at the beginning of November. The record world champion has won seven of the nine titles awarded to date, including at the last four events. Their opponents in the finals in recent years have been Austria (9), Switzerland (9/World Champions 2002) and Brazil (8/World Champions 2010). The two South American representatives from Argentina (8) and Chile (8) have also been permanent World Championship guests in recent years. The Chileans in particular have proven in recent years with their semi-final appearances in 2016 and 2021 that they are hot on the heels of the top four nations.

This will be Colombias second World Championship after their debut in Germany 10 years ago in 2014. Four other nations will be returning to the international stage. New Zealand (1) last competed at a Women’s World Championship in 2018, while for Australia (1) it will also be their second appearance at a Women’s World Championship after 2016. The United States (1) took part in the 2014 World Championship in Germany, while Namibia (1) will return to an international event after an 18-year break. In 2006, the Africans finished a strong fifth in Switzerland. 

“Fistball is played with great enthusiasm on all continents of the world. The starting field for the Fistball World Championship proves this once again. We are delighted that we will see such a large and top-class starting field in November,” says Jörn Verleger, President of the International Fistball Association: “We are convinced that the positive development of women’s fistball worldwide will continue and that the event will provide an additional boost.”

Qualifying event for the World Games

The tenth Women’s Fistball World Championship will be held on the grounds of Club Guatambú in Montecarlo. “The club and its many volunteers have begun intensive preparations for the event,” says Sönke Spille, IFA Head of Events: “We are convinced that the participating teams will provide a great competition that all fans can look forward to.”

The 2024 Women’s Fistball World Championship in Argentina will also serve as a qualifying competition for the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China. “In addition to the continental champions, the best-placed teams at this World Championship will secure 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.

An overview of the participating nations at the IFA 2024 Women’s World Championship (Argentina): Austria, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland (Europe), Argentina, Brazil, Chile, USA (Pan-America), Australia, New Zealand (Oceania), Namibia (Africa), India (Asia)