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Announcements Archives - The World Freestyle Football Association

The World Freestyle Football Association

Category: Announcements

  • Isabel Wilkins and Jesse Marlet take the crown of World Champions at the most attended Freestyle Football World Finals ever

    Isabel Wilkins and Jesse Marlet take the crown of World Champions at the most attended Freestyle Football World Finals ever

    Tournify Find all the official results of the competition on Tournify

    The greatest edition of the World Freestyle Football Championship in the history of the competition took place in Sopot, Poland between December 9th and 14th, 2025. After an action-packed week, full of activities, Meets and amazing Freestyle Football, two extraordinary freestylers shone brightest and took the title of World Champions: Isabel Wilkins from the United Kingdom in the female tournament and Jesse Marlet from the Netherlands in the male competition.

    Over 2,500 fans, the biggest-ever attendance for a World Finals, filled the stands of the imposing Ergo Arena in Sopot to witness the incredible skills of the 32 best freestylers on the planet. All of them, together with audiences from all around the globe through a first-class live stream, could witness not just the prowess of the champions, but also of extraordinary athletes such as local hero Aguska Mnich, who reached the female Final, and French star Tristan Gac, who did the same in the male category.

    With this victory, Jesse becomes one of the very few freestylers in history to win a ‘treble’: National Championship, Super Ball World Open and World Freestyle Football Championship in the same year, all without losing a single battle.

    “It’s been such an incredible season!”, said Jesse, the back-to-back male World Champion. “I think going a full year without losing a battle will be difficult to recreate, so now I want to enjoy this… and take some time off!”.

    “I felt confident before the battle”, said Isabel, the new female World Champion. “You never know with freestyle, but I just gave it my all and I’m very happy with my performances!”.

    Experience again all the thrills of the 2025 World Freestyle Football Championship on the official YouTube channel of the WFFA:

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    For more information about the World Freestyle Football Championship, check out the official Tournify page of the competition or visit the corresponding Event Page.

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • Official announcement regarding Nahal Barzjan and Ali Yahia Ouahmed

    Official announcement regarding Nahal Barzjan and Ali Yahia Ouahmed

    The WFFA announces that, despite sustained efforts carried out jointly with the Sopot authorities and continuous coordination with all relevant parties, the visa applications of Ali Yahia Ouahmed (Algeria) and Nahal Barzjan (Iran) were rejected twice by their respective embassies. Both athletes completed the required steps and provided all requested documentation, but the decisions were final and outside the control of the organisers. As a consequence, they will be unable to travel to Poland to take part in the World Freestyle Football Championship.

    In accordance with the established competition protocol, Nahal and Ali Yahia’s designated opponents in the official draw will receive a bye into the next round. This procedure ensures the integrity of the bracket and allows the competition to proceed without alteration to its structure. All other athletes will continue under the regular schedule and format.

    The WFFA has remained in direct communication with both athletes throughout the process and acknowledges the significant effort they invested in attempting to secure their visas. The Association wishes to express its full solidarity with Nahal and Ali Yahia and recognises the disappointment caused by circumstances entirely beyond their control.

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • Laura Biondo and Igna Chávez conquer South America at WFFA Pulse Medellín 2025

    Laura Biondo and Igna Chávez conquer South America at WFFA Pulse Medellín 2025

    Tournify Check the official website of the tournament on Tournify: click on the logo for more details!

    The Pulse Series landed in Colombia in 2025 to set up an extraordinary tournament: WFFA Pulse Medellín brought the best South American freestylers together for an incredible show between September 24th and 27th. The event featured not just a 1×1 battles competition to determine the eight representatives of the region at the World Freestyle Football Championship later this year (4 women and 4 men), but also a series of tournaments (Sick Three, Iron Man & Woman and Routines) for the Pan American community to showcase all their skills and passion for the sport.

    The qualifiers were held between September 24th and 26th at the underground Hangar M45, an iconic heliport in the suburbs of Medellín, while the Finals took place on September 27th at the Florida Parque Comercial mall in the centre of the city. The local crowd enjoyed a magnificent show at the latter, with hundreds of fans cheering for the tricks of the best South American freestylers.

    A true legend of the sport, Laura Biondo, from Venezuela, took the title again in the female category, while a rising star, Igna Chávez from Argentina, shocked the world and earned his first championship in this category against the local favourite.

    The excitement did not end there, as five more freestylers (two men and two women) earned their places in the upcoming World Finals:

    • Cata Vega, Chile
    • Sebastián ‘Machine’ Peña, Chile
    • Mariana Taborda, Colombia
    • Nico Gondra, Argentina
    • Soledad Arena, Argentina
    • Esteban ‘Mompi’ Gómez, Colombia

    The adventure of the Pulse Series doesn’t stop here, though, and the competition will travel now to Jakarta, Indonesia to crown the Asia-Pacific regional champions and find six more World Finalists – a total of three ladies and three gentlemen.

    Experience again all the thrills of Pulse Medellín 2025 thanks to the official live stream of its Finals:

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The biggest arena for the biggest World Final: the World Freestyle Football Championship lands in Sopot!

    The biggest arena for the biggest World Final: the World Freestyle Football Championship lands in Sopot!

    The World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) has announced today the location for its apex tournament of the season, the event that crowns the World Champions of the sport of Freestyle Football: the World Freestyle Football Championship (WFFC)!

    This year’s edition of the WFFC will take place on December 13th in the beautiful balneary city of Sopot, in northern Poland. The imposing, state-of-the-art Ergo Arena, located between the city and the neighbouring Gdánsk, will play host to the Grand Final of the championship: there, the tricks and skills of the best freestylers on the planet will take centre stage in the biggest-ever venue for a Freestyle Football championship.

    The 32 participants in the World Freestyle Football Championship, coming from the highly competitive continental qualifiers of the WFFA Pulse Series (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and South America), will enjoy a week of activities and experiences thanks to Sopot’s legendary tradition of hospitality before facing off at the iconic arena.

    The Ergo Arena, with a seating capacity of 11,409 for sports events, first opened its doors in 2010. Since then, it has served as home ground for the local basketball and volleyball professional teams, while also welcoming the Polish national teams on multiple occasions. Over the years, the Arena has staged prestigious competitions such as the 2013 European Men’s Volleyball Championship and the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, as well as memorable concerts by global stars including Lady Gaga, Iron Maiden, Sting and Elton John.

    “Plain and simple: we couldn’t be more excited to go back to Sopot!,” said Lukáš Škoda, Head of Operations at the WFFA. “The European Championship we hosted there last year thanks to the invaluable support of the city, WFFA Pulse Sopot 2024, was an amazing success. We can’t wait to repeat it with an even bigger, grander setup this year, bringing there the very best freestylers on the planet for the World Freestyle Football Championship!”.

    “I’m delighted that this spectacular sport is returning to Sopot at the World Championship level”, said Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim, the Mayor of Sopot. “In June 2024, we hosted the biggest European Freestyle Football stars for the first time. I hope that the competition at ERGO ARENA in December will attract an even larger audience and complement the winter calendar of sporting events taking place in Sopot.”

    About the World Freestyle Football Championship

    Only the greatest of the greatest, only the best of the very best: this is what the World Freestyle Football Championship, the flagship event of the World Freestyle Football Association, aims to find every year!

    Organised in various formats since 2008, the official World Freestyle Football Championship is the prime tournament in the global circuit, open to male and female freestylers from every single country on the planet. Held in a different city every year, the Finals of the World Championship are doubtlessly the most thrilling and competitive events of the season – a magic stage in which the most talented athletes show off their skills against their peers from other countries, continents, and cultures.

    For more information about the 2025 edition of the competition, please check the corresponding Event Page on the website of the WFFA: www.worldfreestylefootball.org/event/wffc2025 

    About Sopot

    Sopot is a vibrant spa resort in the north of Poland on the Baltic Sea. It is an extraordinary city of intellectual inspiration, festivals, sports events, sandy beaches, green areas and wonderful opportunities to relax. 

    Sopot is undoubtedly the most beautiful resort in Poland today. Already in the 19th century, patients who wanted to improve their health thanks to healing baths were coming to Sopot. 200 years later, the city proudly celebrates and continues its spa resort traditions. Beautiful sandy beaches, the longest wooden pier in Europe, the spectacular Forest Opera and the famous Monciak (Monte Cassino Street) attract tourists and patients from all over the world.

    For more information about Sopot, please visit its channels:

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The Netherlands take over the most spectacular World Open of all times: Jasmijn Janssen and Jesse Marlet win Super Ball 2025

    The Netherlands take over the most spectacular World Open of all times: Jasmijn Janssen and Jesse Marlet win Super Ball 2025

    Tournify Find the official results of the tournament on Tournify: click on the logo for more details!

    The 2025 edition of the Super Ball World Open, the greatest and most celebrated Freestyle Football event on the globe, concluded on Friday, August 29th with an absolutely extraordinary Finals held at the state-of-the-art SportsDock arena in London, United Kingdom. The first edition of the event to be ever organised outside of the Czech Republic brought together the greatest freestylers in the world for an unforgettable show – one that many will remember as the most spectacular in the history of the competition!

    After a week of mind-blowing battles and extraordinary heroics in the six extra categories (Sick Three, Challenge, Routines, Double Routines, Iron Man & Woman and Kill the Beat), two Dutch superstars, Jesse Marlet in the male bracket and Jasmijn Janssen in the female bracket, stood out on top and won the 1×1 Battles tournament.

    In the male category, French star Tristan Gac took second position, with Argeninian sensation Ignacio ‘Ignachav’ Chávez claiming the bronze medal after an extraordinary performance. In the female tournament, Venezuelan legend and Super Ball OG Laura Biondo climbed to the second position in the podium, with Panamanian rising star Diana ‘Karol’ Rojer taking the third place.

    Besides the Pro bracket, the 1×1 Battles tournament also featured the NextGen and Division 2 categories: in the former, French starlet Ilian Nemoz won the title after defeating the defending champion, Polish sensation Pan Pawel; meanwhile, in the second division, Maximiliano ‘El Tigre’ Valle Bernal from the USA took the crown after defeating the Palestinian hero Yousef ‘Yusu’ Hawari.

    In the special mentions section, the extraordinary feat of Sofie Johannsen, from Denmark, cannot be overstated: the Danish teenager took the victory in all the lowers categories, with a trio of gold medals in Sick Three, Iron Woman and Challenge. In a similar fashion, Leon Pokrovsky, from Japan, took the highest spot in the podium in all artistic disciplines, with victories in Routines, Double Routines and Kill the Beat.

    Here is the official list of champions, runners-up and third-placed athletes in the different categories at Super Ball 2025, presented by Ultimate Street Football:

    • Iron Woman: Sofie (Denmark), Jasmijn (Netherlands) and Laura (Venezuela)
    • Iron Man: Sindre (Norway), Ben (France) and Jairo (Mexico)
    • Female Challenge: Sofie (Denmark), Karol (Panama) and Lucie (France)
    • Male Challenge: Mateo (France), Malte (Germany) and Jairo (Mexico)
    • Female Sick Three: Sofie (Denmark), Karol (Panama) and Mai (Japan)
    • Male Sick Three: Jairo (Mexico), Ignachav (Argentina) and Sergio Sánchez (Spain)
    • Double Routines: Leonmbz & Hylee (Japan & Korea), Dan.Freestyler & Hrabi (Czech Republic) and Hirata & Tatsuki (Japan)
    • Routines: Leonmbz (Japan), Djego (Mexico) and Kuro (Japan)
    • Kill the Beat: Leonmbz (Japan), Kuro (Japan) and PWG (Philippines)

    Experience again all the thrills of the 2025 Super Ball World Open thanks to the official live stream of its Finals:

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The WFFA renews and expands its partnership with Predator Energy in Africa

    The WFFA renews and expands its partnership with Predator Energy in Africa

    The World Freestyle Football Association, together with acclaimed energy drink brand Predator Energy, trademark of Monster Energy Corporation, have announced the renewal of their fruitful collaboration in Africa, which this year will include the expansion of their partnership into a new market.

    On top of the four countries whose official National Championships were supercharged by Predator Energy in 2024 —namely Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Egypt, the latter under the trademark Fury Energy—, the partnership will now add Morocco, a nation with an extraordinary Freestyle Football community.  The agreement will allow these five countries to feature electrifying National Championships for male and female freestylers, as well as a series of Meets to further engage the local freestyle communities, excite the fans of the sport and present Freestyle Football to new audiences.

    The locations for the National Freestyle Football Championships are as follows, with the exact details to be announced on the official channels of the WFFA:

    • Uganda: Kampala, September 27th, 2025
    • Nigeria: Lagos, October 4th, 2025
    • Egypt: Cairo, October 24th, 2025
    • Kenya: Nairobi, November 29th, 2025
    • Morocco: Casablanca, December 19th, 2025

    “Last year, our collaboration with Predator Energy and Fury Energy wasn’t just a massive success, but it also left a powerful mark on African Freestyle Football”, said Lukáš Škoda, Head of Operations at the WFFA. “We were immensely proud to help African talents showcase all their skills, and we couldn’t be more excited to expand it in 2025 with the addition of a fascinating community such as the Moroccan this year”.

    “Renewing our partnership with the WFFA was an easy decision — Freestyle Football continues to inspire and energise fans around the world, and that’s exactly what Predator Energy is all about”, said Rob Adkins, Predator & Fury Energy Brand Director. “This year, we’re turning up the volume with more events, more community jams, and even more opportunities to connect with football lovers everywhere. Together with the WFFA, we’re not just supporting the sport, we’re helping it thrive at street level”.

    For more information about the Nigerian, Kenyan, Ugandan, Egyptian and Moroccan National Championships, please visit the Event Calendar on the website of the WFFA and follow the official channels of the Association.

    About Predator Energy

    Predator Energy is a Global energy drink trademark of the Monster Energy Corporation. Sold in 30+ markets across EMEA, LATAM and APAC, Predator exists to enable Hustlers to thrive and fuel their daily grind. Since their creation just a few years ago, Predator Energy has become a category leader within multiple territories, offering fans a premium-tasting liquid at an affordable price point.

    Predator Energy has made football its main focus, with the ambition to excite, entertain and reward football fans across the Globe, from elite level to grassroots.

    Predator Energy gives you the energy to rule… Rule Your Kingdom.

    Website: www.predatorenergydrink.com

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The website of the WFFA changes domain to evolve and improve: enter worldfreestylefootball.org

    The website of the WFFA changes domain to evolve and improve: enter worldfreestylefootball.org

    The World Freestyle Football Association has announced today a significant technical update to one of its primary platforms — the official website. From today, the Association’s main online presence will move from www.thewffa.org to www.worldfreestylefootball.org. This transition, which will not alter any of the site’s existing functions, is designed to deliver enhanced reliability, stronger security and improved performance. It also lays the groundwork for the innovative developments the WFFA plans to introduce in the months ahead.

    In line with this change, the Association’s corporate email addresses will also be updated: addresses previously ending in @thewffa.org will now use the @worldfreestylefootball.org format. The WFFA will be proactively communicating with all its stakeholders — including athletes, fans, partners, and institutions — to ensure the transition is carried out seamlessly, without disruption to ongoing activities or services.

    “This update is just a little glimpse of something much bigger,” said Lukáš ‘Lucaso’ Škoda, Head of Operations at the WFFA. “Our move to the new domain marks another small step in a broader transformation that will completely change the WFFA for the future. In this occasion, we’d like to thank our partners at GameDay for their invaluable support and expertise in making this transition smooth and efficient.”

    For more information about this change or about the digital tools of the WFFA, please contact info@worldfreestylefootball.org.

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • Super Ball comes to London: the world’s greatest Freestyle Football event lands in the United Kingdom between August 25th and 29th, 2025

    Super Ball comes to London: the world’s greatest Freestyle Football event lands in the United Kingdom between August 25th and 29th, 2025

    This summer, the city of London will play host to the greatest, most prestigious event in the global Freestyle Football calendar: the Super Ball World Open 2025, which will take place from August 25th to 29th at SportsDock, University of East London!

    Bringing together over 400 of the world’s top Freestyle Football athletes from 50+ countries, Super Ball is way more than just a sports tournament: it’s a celebration of culture, creativity and community through one of the most expressive and inclusive sports on Earth.

    Global Energy. Pure Skill. Free Entry!

    The event will feature no less than seven competitions throughout the week, culminating in a show-stopping, free-to-attend Grand Final on Friday, August 29th from 3 to 6 pm BST. The very best athletes in the world will battle for the crown of champions in front of a passionate crowd. For fans around the globe, the whole event will be live-streamed for free on the official channels of the WFFA, offering front-row access to the action.

    Freestyle Football: A Movement, Not Just a Sport

    Freestyle Football is a lifestyle, a global movement and a gateway to opportunity with no expensive equipment or barriers to entry: All you need is a ball! From street corners to global stages, this art form has empowered thousands of young people to find confidence and connection with fellow athletes.

    Now in the English capital —a place that already eats, sleeps and breathes football—, people will be able to experience the beautiful game in a new way, with the world’s very best freestylers demonstrating what is truly possible with a ball. 

    Not only will Super Ball 2025 showcase elite-level talent, but it will also highlight the positive social impact of freestyle, from mental health and physical literacy to inclusion, neurodiversity and youth empowerment.

    An Open Invitation

    Super Ball offers a dynamic platform for brands, media, educators and local communities to get involved. Whether through sponsorship, workshops, digital activations or collaborative campaigns, there are multiple ways to be part of this vibrant and fast-growing global movement.

    “There is no greater feeling than having such a huge volume of our community coming together in one place”, said Lukáš ‘Lucaso’ Škoda, the Super Ball founder and current Head of Operations of the WFFA. “Super Ball is the highlight of the Freestyle Football calendar: I’m really excited to bring it outside of the Czech Republic for the first time in history.”

    “Bringing Super Ball to London this year not only provides a new experience for the athletes, but also presents a huge opportunity to communicate the beauty of this sport and lifestyle to new audiences, both in the UK and around the world”, said Dan Wood, the Head of Partnerships at the WFFA.

    About the Super Ball World Open

    The Super Ball World Open is the largest Freestyle Football open competition on the planet, a tournament that has become a major factor in establishing the thriving community around the sport on a global scale. Officially sanctioned by the WFFA, Super Ball offers no less than 7 different competitions both for men and women across the length of a week, as well as workshops, lectures and meetings around the sport.

    Super Ball in its current format of World Open was founded in 2012, but the history of events in the Czech Republic dates back to 2009, with the Freestyle Football Grand Prix of Prague created by Czech freestyler and current WFFA Board member Lukáš ‘Lucaso’ Škoda. After several different iterations, including changes of location between the cities of Prague and Liberec, the event became the world reference in the discipline that it is now.

    For more information about the 2025 edition of the competition, please check the corresponding Event Page on the website of the WFFA: Super Ball 2025

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The Sports Committe of the WFFA announces the reinstatement of time limits for battles across all official competitions

    The Sports Committe of the WFFA announces the reinstatement of time limits for battles across all official competitions

    The World Freestyle Football Association has announced today a change in the regulations for all official competitions featuring 1×1 Battles: starting in the 2025 season, all clashes will introduce again a time limit of 30 seconds per round, hence revoking the No Time Limit rule which had been in place in recent years.

    The No Time Limit rule (NTL) was first implemented in a major event at Super Ball 2020 and since then it had expanded across all official competitions. Its original goal was to cater to the feedback and preferences of the community, despite the significant logistical and production challenges it presented.

    However, the positive changes it pursued have not materialised: instead, the NTL format has led to competitions becoming not only longer, but also less engaging for both the general audience and the freestylers themselves. Additionally, this format introduced an extra layer of uncertainty for judges when evaluating performances.

    Therefore, after careful review and consultation, the Sports Committee has decided to implement a new format for all major WFFA competitions (Pulse Series, Super Ball, NextGen and WFFC) starting in 2025.

    New Battle Format:

    • 3 rounds of 30 seconds each
    • The clock resets at the beginning of each round
    • Each round begins when the competitor whose turn it is performs their first action with the ball: this includes any type of ball interaction, such as juggling, flick-ups or ground moves
    • If a competitor takes too long to begin their round, the MC has the authority to signal the official timekeeper to start the clock

    This change has been designed to ensure only one competitor performs at a time, reducing confusion for the audience and judges; give competitors a few extra seconds to prepare and start their round efficiently; and keep the competition dynamic and interesting to watch, actively avoiding extra-long rounds which have become the new norm in recent years.

    While this system will be mandatory for all major WFFA competitions in 2025, events applying for World Ranking (WR) status are not required to adopt it. Organisers of said events are free to use the format that best fits their needs while complying with official WFFA rules; however, they are welcome to adopt the new format and provide feedback on its implementation.

    For more information, watch the following explanatory video on the official YouTube channel of the WFFA:

    .
    The new system will be used throughout the official 2025 season and will be reviewed at the end of the year based on feedback from competitors and the community. For more information about this update of the Regulations, please contact judging@worldfreestylefootball.org or follow the official channels of the Association.

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

  • The WFFA announces its 15 Regional Key Leaders around the world

    The WFFA announces its 15 Regional Key Leaders around the world

    The World Freestyle Football Association has confirmed today the list of its 15 Regional Key Leaders, the backbone of the Global Network of the Association across the five continents. The roster has had just one change since 2024, as Vincent ‘Spinny Vinnie’ Grady, from the USA, has stepped down from his role and will be replaced by Roberto ‘Cero’ Sanciprián, from Mexico.

    The respected individuals that conform to this list, a mix of current and former athletes of all ages and origins, will act yet another year as the connection between the Global Team and Board of the WFFA and the local communities in the 119 countries where the Association has a representative.

    The list of Key Leaders, available on the specific page of our official website, features:

       

       

    Pekko ‘PeGe’ Piirto, the Head of the Global Network, said: “Once again, it’s a great honour for us to announce these amazing fifteen freestylers, true trailblazers in their respective communities, as our Key Leaders. We are sad to see our beloved Spinny Vinnie leave the position and we send him our most heatfelt thank you for his awesome work these years; on the flip side, though, we are delighted to welcome Cero to the team. Now, all systems are go for a great season in 2025!”.

    To learn more about the structure and history of the WFFA, please visit the corresponding page on our website.

    For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!

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