U18 World Championship 2024: The best youth fistball teams visit Chile
- 29 October 2024
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.”
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