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:
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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.
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