IFA Fistball World Tour Finals: Club World Cup 2024 in Mannheim

The men's and women's World Tour Finals are returning to Germany. From 18 to 21 July the best club teams in the world will meet in Mannheim – at the same venue where the men's Fistball World Championship took place a year ago.

It is almost exactly a year since the fistball world looked to Mannheim. The men’s world championship was a sporting spectacle – which will now be repeated this summer. From July 18 to 21, the IFA Fistball World Tour Finals – the Club World Championship – will take place in the Rhein-Neckar Stadium. Eight women’s and eight men’s teams will compete to determine the best club teams in the world. The two defending champions TV Jahn Schneverdingen (women) and SG Novo Hamburgo (men) will also be taking part in the four days of competition. They will first have to assert themselves in one of the two preliminary round groups, from which only the two best teams will remain in the title race and make it through to the semi-finals.

Women: Defending champions TV Jahn Schneverdingen hungry for another title win

The women from TV Jahn Schneverdingen (Germany) are currently the measure of all things: After triumphing at the 2023 World Tour Finals, the reigning German champions also won the European Cup for the first time since 2006 at the beginning of July. „We want to attack again this year and have our sights firmly set on the gold medal,“ says Laura Kauk, captain of TV Jahn: „The demands on ourselves have risen enormously in recent years, the goal is clearly to bring the World Cup back to Schneverdingen!“ In the preliminary round, the team will face FG Elgg-Ettenhausen (Switzerland), the newly crowned Austrian national champions FBC Linz-Urfahr and SVD Diepoldsau-Schmitter, who are currently unbeaten at the top of the league table in Switzerland.

In the second preliminary round group, the winner of the South American Cup, Sogipa Porto Alegre (Brazil), will face the 2023 European Cup winners, TSV Dennach (Germany), among others. The group is completed by Faustball Kreuzlingen (Switzerland) and UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting (Austria).

Men: Big challenges for local hero TV Käfertal

The men’s preliminary round groups also promise plenty of excitement. TSV Pfungstadt, serial winners of German championships in recent years and European Cup winners in 2023, will face Union Tigers Vöcklabruck (Austrian champions in 2024), DSG UKJ Froschberg (3rd place Austria 2024) and the local heroes from TV Käfertal, who recently finished fourth in the European Cup, in their preliminary round group. Nevertheless, the starting position for TVK is not ideal. There is still a question mark behind the two attackers Nick Trinemeier and Marcel Stoklasa due to injury. However, defensive specialist Nico Müller is back in the squad. „That’s good for our squad,“ emphasized Nick Trinemeier: „On the other hand, the boys put in a great performance at the Champions Cup. We accept the situation as it is.“ The world champion rates the group as extremely strong: „We have two candidates for the final in Pfungstadt and Vöcklabruck, and Froschberg were also very successful in Austria. That means we have three tough games, but we want to give our best performance and win the games.“

Defending champions SG Novo Hamburgo (Brazil) are also likely to be among the favorites. In the preliminary round, the team will face their Brazilian opponents Sogipa Porto Alegre and the two Austrian teams UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting and TV Enns.

Organizers are looking forward to the event– After-work ticket on Thursday and Friday

Meanwhile, the preparations for the organizers have entered the home straight. VfR Mannheim, the City of Mannheim and the Förderverein Faustball² are looking forward to the start, which will take place on Wednesday evening with the traditional Welcome Dinner. „We are looking forward to a great event,“ says Christoph Oberlehner, Secretary General of the International Fistball Association and head of the organizing committee. With VfR Mannheim, a soccer club has become heavily involved in the organization. „We at VfR were very enthusiastic about last year’s World Championship and the sport of fistball. This gave rise to the idea of us getting involved in the organization of an international fistball event,“ explains Boris Scheuermann, President of VfR Mannheim: „We are delighted that we will be hosting the best club teams in the world over the next few days.“ And the city of Mannheim is also looking forward to the event in the „world capital of fistball“, as Ingo Kirrinnis, Head of the Sports & Leisure Department, said: „It’s impressive that three German Championships and the 2023 World Championship have taken place since 2018 and that the next fistball event is now taking place here in Mannheim.“

Tickets for the matches are available at the box office, including the Feierabend-Ticket: This gives you the opportunity to watch the matches on Thursday and Friday from 5 pm for 5 euros each – with matches such as the classic men’s match between TSV Pfungstadt and TV Käfertal (Thursday, 6 pm) and the two women’s semi-finals on Friday (6 pm and 7.30 pm).

SWR broadcasts final matches in livestream

The men’s and women’s competitions start on Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19, with the preliminary round matches. The 40 matches of the 2024 World Tour Finals will be broadcast live on www.fistball.TV. SWR will also stream the four semi-finals and medal matches live. The commentator will be Patrick Stricker.

broadcast live on www.fistball.TV. SWR will also stream the four semi-finals and medal matches live.