To buy your tickets for the World Final, visit the official page of the event at Entrio!
Check the official website of the World Final on Tournify: click on the logo for more details!
The world’s best freestylers will put their creativity, technical skill and style to the test in Croatia on Saturday, October 8 with the Istrian seafront city of Pula confirmed as the host for the 2022 Red Bull Street Style World Finals. This year will mark the 10th anniversary of female participation in the pinnacle competition in Freestyle Football, with an iconic Roman amphitheatre, the Pula Arena, the setting for the contest.
First launched in 2008, Red Bull Street Style is a global competition that aims to find the best overall freestyle football players in the world. This year, a new regionalised qualifying format has meant that every continent has a guaranteed representative at the World Finals. Each national champion joined a regional battle pool, to determine the best freestylers in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific.
Full attention now turns to the World Finals, where the best 16 male and eight female freestylers, who progressed from the Regional Qualifying rounds, are set to compete to be crowned world champions.
Reigning male and female Red Bull Street Style champions Erlend Fagerli of Norway and Lia Lewis of the UK will be among the competitors taking part in the Finals. Elsewhere, Nigeria’s Evelyn Okafor is set to become the first African woman to step onto the stage in World Final history.
Two-time defending men’s champion Fagerli, 25, said: “Winning the Red Bull Street Style World Championships last year was one of the greatest highlights of my career. It was probably my best performance ever, but I am eager to up the levels even more and defend my title once again. I’m excited to show my new freestyle and go head-to-head with the other freestylers and see what new tricks they can bring to the competition. The setting in Pula looks amazing and I can’t wait to perform to the watching world in such an incredible location!”
Lewis, 25, commented: “I’m excited for this year’s Red Bull Street Style World Championships and looking forward to seeing how the level in Freestyle Football has evolved. I’ve enjoyed the preparation for this competition and I’m ready to go on stage once again and show something new.”
On reaching her first World Finals, Okafor added: “I’m so excited to have the opportunity to represent Nigeria and Africa on the global stage and to compete against some incredibly talented athletes from all around the world. To be a part of the amazing journey that Freestyle Football is on is really special.”
The Red Bull Street Style World Finals will be broadcast live across the World Freestyle Football Association‘s social channels, including YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.
For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
To buy your tickets for the World Final, visit the official page of the event at Entrio!
Check the official website of the World Final on Tournify: click on the logo for more details!
Words by Trish Medalen for the Red Bull Media House.
Featuring the best athletes to trick their way to the top of national qualifiers around the world, five Regional Finals have determined the 16 men and eight women who will compete for the official World Championship of Freestyle Football when the Red Bull Street Style World Final comes to the magnificent Pula Arena in Croatia this October 8th. Here’s the lowdown – and the list of World Finalists!
Africa
Evelyn Okafor (Nigeria) claimed the title of African women’s champion with smooth combinations featuring impressive control across uppers, lowers and transitions. The first freestyler from her country ever to earn a place on the World Final stage, Okafor makes it all look easy.
The most intense battle in the men’s competition came when Mohannad Hosam (Egypt) and Ali Yahia(Algeria) faced off for a place in Africa’s final round. Hosan, a contender in the 2019 World Final, was determined to return to the global stage, but Yahia was equally as focused. Only a flawless performance by the Egyptian took him to the final battle, where he stamped his ticket to Croatia.
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Asia Pacific
In the most riveting men’s clash of the Asia Pacific tournament, perpetual standout Philip Warren Gertsson, aka PWG (Philippines) claimed a place in the regional final bydelivering everything in his arsenal against lightning-fast Jay Hennicke (Australia). With the region’s championship eventually going to Mohammed Akbari (Iran), the second place to PWG and the third to Hennicke, the trio have earned positions in Pula. As a result, for the first time ever there will be no men from the freestyle hotbed of Japan in the World Final.
But Japanese fans will still have a home favourite to cheer this October. The concluding Asia-Pacific rounds for women featured three female athletes from Japan, as well as a strong talent from Iran. All four delivered, but it was Miyoshi Miharu (Japan) who claimed the regional crown and will be bringing her super-stylish moves to battle the world’s best.
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Europe
The final four in the European women’s tournament included three Red Bull Street Style World Champions: reigning titleholder Lia Lewis (United Kingdom), 2018 winner Aguśka Mnich (Poland)and four-time victor Mélody Donchet (France). The climactic showdown between Mnich and Lewis was a nail-biting rematch of the deciding round in the 2021 World Final, but this time the Polish star came out on top. In the battle for bronze, young Jasmijn Janssen (Netherlands) defeated Donchet – excluding the French legend from the World Final for the first time.
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The men’s field was also packed with talent and showcased a dream final between brothers Brynjar Fagerli and Erlend Fagerli (Norway), where the judges used words like ‘mind-blowing,’ and ‘next level’ in describing the action. While Erlend is the only three-time men’s world champion in the history of Red Bull Street Style, in this faceoff Brynjar’s high-risk moves gave him the edge. They’ll both represent Europe in Croatia, along with third-place Jesse Marlet (Netherlands), who was runner-up at the 2021 World Final,and three other outstanding regional performers – Tristan Gac (France), Máté Hajagós (Hungary) and Anto Sanz (Spain).
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North America
The North American men’s final was a thriller, with two freestylers known for their strength and ability: Pat Shaw (USA) versus Jeff ‘Pagu’ Chacón (Costa Rica). Each served up monster combos, and while Shaw took the victory, both earned a spot in the World Final, along with fellow North American Anthony Noguez (México).
Among the women, the experience, unique style and fresh tricks of Caitlyn Schrepfer (USA) won the hearts and minds of the judges, and the Californian says she’s got even more to give in Pula. Schrepfer was the third-place finisher at the World Final in 2021 – this year, could she be the spoiler who goes all the way?
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South America
In South America, gripping battles and strong emotions showed just how much it means to make it to the World Final.
The men’s final came down to Boyka Ortiz (Colombia) against Moisés Carruyo (Chile). A freestyle icon,Ortiz has previously podiumed in the Red Bull Street Style World Championship, but young Carruyo holds high potential, having dethroned the best freestyler in Chilean history for his national title. Neither held back, and when Carruyo was announced the South American winner, he was overwhelmed. Carruyo and Ortiz both advance to the World Final, along with Nicolás Gondra (Argentina).
Back in 2012, Laura Biondo(Venezuela) and Cata Vega(Chile) were part of the very first women’s lineup on the World Final stage, and they’ve been instrumental in growing the sport. So it was inspirational to see them a decade later, at their peak, going head to head in South America’s final. While Biondo squeaked out the win, both move forward to Pula. Blinking back happy tears, Biondo said, “Going to the Red Bull Street Style World Final after being there since the beginning 10 years ago… it means a lot. See you in Croatia!”
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World Final lineup 2022
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Men
Mohammed Akbari, Iran
Moisés Carruyo, Chile
Jeff ‘Pagu’ Chacón, Costa Rica
Brynjar Fagerli, Norway
Erlend Fagerli, Norway
Tristan Gac, France
Philip ‘PWG’ Warren Gertsson, Philippines
Nicolás Gondra, Argentina
Máté Hajagós, Hungary
Jay Hennicke, Australia
Mohannad Hosam, Egypt
Jesse Marlet, Netherlands
Anthony Noguez, México
Boyka Ortiz, Colombia
Anto Sanz, Spain
Patrick Shaw, USA
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Women
Laura Biondo, Venezuela
Jasmijn Janssen, Netherlands
Lia Lewis, UK
Miyoshi Miharu, Japan
Aguśka Mnich, Poland
Evelyn Okafor, Nigeria
Caitlyn Schrepfer, USA
Cata Vega, Chile
For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
Red Bull Street Style, the most competitive Freestyle Football tournament in the world, is back in 2022 with the clear goal of taking things to the next level: a thousand athletes from over 50 countries will compete in a contest that will see a new sportive format being implemented this year, guaranteeing that finalists from up to five continents will enter the World Final for the first time in its history.
Red Bull Street Style is the pinnacle competition of a sport that aims to become Olympic, delivering the highest sportive level, athletic progression, and spectacular moments in all Freestyle Football competitions. After a 2021 World Final that saw an unexpected upset in the triumph of Britain’s Lia Lewis in the women’s tournament just 3 years after entering the sport, the world’s best freestylers will once again be battling it out over an intense season to be crowned World Champions.
In the men’s bracket, 2022 will see the return of in-person qualifiers, a series of events that will take place in specific countries to determine their champions; most nations of the world, though, will select their best athletes through online National Qualifiers on the WFFA App. The best athletes of each of the participating countries, including a specific Rest of the World qualifier for nations with smaller communities, will then advance to their respective Regional Qualifier. Only the most skilful participants of each of the five regions (North and South America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe) will make it to the Regional Finals, a brand-new concept happening in late August that will determine the 16 men that will participate in the World Final on October 8th in Croatia.
In the women’s bracket, the competition will happen on a fully online basis. Female participants from all around the world will need to get through a first selection process to earn a spot in their respective Regional Qualifiers, the winners of which will then make it to the Regional Finals in August. The very best 8 female freestylers on the globe, coming from each of the five regions, will then earn a spot in the World Final in Croatia!
“We are really happy to see this new format implemented”, said Steve Elias, President of the WFFA. “We want to give freestylers from all around the world the opportunity to compete in a World Final, and that’s why we believe the regionalised competition will become a hit for the community worldwide”.
Defending champions Erlend Fagerli and Lia Lewis will join the contest as wild cards in the Regional Finals, aiming to defend their crown.
“It’s such a privilege to defend my title once again. I’m so excited to test myself against the best freestylers in my region and in the world this year!”, said Erlend Fagerli, the reigning world champion.
Lia Lewis, the current female champion, agrees: “It will be tough to face so many amazing freestylers in the Regional Finals, but I am ready to accept this challenge: I’ll do my best to defend my title at the World Final!”.
Launched in 2008, Red Bull Street Style aims to find the best overall Freestyle Football player in the world: only the most creative, technical and stylish players in each gender will be crowned Red Bull Street Style World Champions.
The Official Rules of the tournament are available on the Rules and Regulations page of the WFFA official website together with the details about the format. Visit the official Event Page as well for more details!
For submission details, deadline information and news updates on the Red Bull Street Style World Championship, visit www.redbullstreetstyle.com.
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For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
The first-ever Red Bull Street Style World Final in Valencia, Spain, and the first in two years to be on stage surrounded by spectators, made for a supercharged atmosphere. And if the fans at the Palau de la Música venue were hot to see the latest from Freestyle Football’s elite, the athletes themselves were positively on fire.
After a year of qualification rounds, the initial field of more than 700 hopefuls from all around the world had been whittled down to the elite: 16 men and 8 women serving up new tricks and new styles.
The women’s field was the toughest in Red Bull Street Style history and a fresh name skyrocketed to stardom, as the UK’s Lia Lewis captured the ultimate title by defeating 2018 World Champion Aguśka Mnich of Poland in a tense final round.
The event was just Lewis’s second World Final appearance; but even more astonishing, she only began working on freestyle tricks three years ago.
The influence of dance and acrobatic backgrounds on the style of Lewis and third-place finisher Caitlyn Schrepfer of the USA confirmed an exciting direction for the sport and Lewis won Best Trick with a bridge-to-splits manoeuvre.
Fans were shocked, however, when four-time World Champion and legend of the sport Mélody Donchet of France failed to make the podium. The French star, who tearfully accepted a long ovation on stage, hinted that it might be her last World Final.
Of course, the athletes weren’t only facing each other. The judging panel in Valencia was a mighty line-up of freestyle title-winners assembled by the WFFA: Tobias Becs of Norway; France’s Séan Garnier, who in 2008 became the first-ever Red Bull Street Style champ; Michał Rycac of Poland; home Spanish star Javi Sanz and two-time Red Bull Street Style champion Kitti Szász from Hungary.
In the male bracket, while the triumph of Norway’s Erlend Fagerli – just reaching his prime and already the greatest the sport has ever known – wasn’t unexpected, what was a surprise was how hard he had to work for it.
After cruising confidently through the first battles, in the final he squared off with Jesse Marlet from the Netherlands, who had never before made it to the concluding round. With nothing to lose, the Dutchman delivered new tricks that pushed Fagerli into some uncharacteristic baubles. But in the end, the Norwegian and his breathtaking transitions were simply on another level.
Third place went to Colombia’s Boyka Ortiz, an experienced contender and previous runner-up, but youngsters to watch earned big respect, too. French phenom Tristan Gac, not yet 20, won Best Trick honours with his upside-down sole-stall. Fellow teen Gabriel Parke, a fast-rising Brazilian sensation who is blazing a new path with imaginative twisty, rolling moves, also impressed.
Fagerli, whose always-innovative brother Brynjar competed in the World Final as well, stated, “I want to say huge respect to Jesse. He’s one of the freestylers who keep pushing all the time to make this sport develop, and I was delighted to compete against him in the final.”
Applauding the Spanish spectators, the triple World Champion added, “I love the audience. The energy has been electric all night, and it has been so good to compete here. We just love Freestyle Football!”.
See it again! Rewatch the Red Bull Street Style World Final 2021 on Red Bull TV video on demand.
Rewatch the Studio show on the WFFA official YouTube channel:
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Words by Trish Medalen for RedBull.com; pictures by Gianfranco Tripodo for the Red Bull Content Pool.
Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!
The world’s best freestyle footballers will welcome the return of fans as the Spanish city of Valencia has been confirmed as the host city for the 2021 Red Bull Street Style World Finals in November. Sixteen male and eight female freestyle footballers will entertain fans in a celebration of skill, style and diversity, with athletes from all corners of the globe taking to the stage.
The pinnacle competition for the sport will be held in front of fans again for the first time since 2019 and will take place on Saturday, November 20 in the scenic Spanish city.
Those hoping to wow fans in Valencia are reigning male and female Red Bull Street Style champions Erlend Fagerli of Norway and Melody Donchet of France, who will both be eager to defend their crowns.
Confirmation of Valencia comes as the draw for the seeding groups for the World Final – the Online Battle Pools – was held earlier this month which conjured up a number of intriguing match-ups, with 59 male and 20 female athletes vying for a place at the World Finals.
In the stand-out group of the entire draw, Donchet has been drawn in Group C alongside a mixture of rising stars and older champions such as Chile’s Catalina Vega, fellow Frenchwoman Pola Gomez, Great Britain’s Lia Lewis, and Poland’s Kalina Matysiak. Also in action are American Caitlyn Schrepfer in Group B and 2018 World Champion Aguska Mnich from Poland, both of whom will be confident of progression to the World Finals.
Group N of the men’s competition pits best friends Philip Warren Gertsson and Viktor Ludvig Olovson aka VLO against one another – the Swedish residents having known each other for over 15 years. In a men’s competition littered with talent, fans will also be able to watch Poland’s 2013 winner Szymon Skalski in Group G and 2019 finalist Sebastián Ortiz of Colombia in Group P. Elsewhere, Brazilian Gabriel Parke is considered a rising star to watch in Group A as is France’s Tristan Gac in Group L, who has entered the Freestyle Football scene with a bang.
American champion Caitlyn Schrepfer said: “I am so excited for this year’s competition. I was heartbroken last year when I made a couple of small mistakes and I thought I had a great chance. I am looking forward to the competition and hoping to give the other participants a good challenge.”
The WFFA President, Steve Elias, said: “We are thrilled to co-organise Red Bull Street Style yet another year! We believe the city of Valencia will offer an absolutely fabulous backdrop for the 2021 World Final and are really looking forward to celebrating the sport both with the athletes and the fans.”
Frenchman Séan Garnier, the first winner of Red Bull Street Style back in 2008, added: “The beauty of Freestyle Football is that you just need a ball. You don’t need equipment, a motorbike or any other kit. I cannot wait to watch Erlend Fagerli again, who is going to take some beating this year. He is the full package. He has all the skills and is a fantastic performer to go with it. He is incredible and last year he took his game to the next level. He knows how to master his body with the ball.”
For more details about this year’s edition of Red Bull Street Style, please check the corresponding Event Page on the WFFA website.
For more information about the Red Bull Street Style tournament, please visit the official website atwww.redbullstreetstyle.com.
Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!
“Can nobody defeat the Fagerlis?” This could be the epic title of the 2021 Super Ball, a tournament that reached its climax on Saturday, August 21st with an authentic exhibition of freestyle football. A selection of the best athletes in the world battled in no less than ten different categories and celebrated the sport with the global community after a particularly difficult year due to the Covid pandemic.
In the male battle category, the Fagerli brothers were unbeatable until the Grand Final; Norwegians Erlend and Brynjar ended up first and second, respectively, and renewed their extraordinary record as the two most successful siblings in the history of freestyle football. Even with his magnificent performance, the 2020 Super Ball champion, Dutch Jesse Marlet, could not repeat the title this time and had to settle for third place.
In the female Grand Final, Polish star Aguśka Mnich defeated British sensation Lia Lewis, who put up a tremendously impressive display in her first-ever Super Ball (and live competition) participation. Yet another renowned star of the sport, Yoanna Dallier from France, claimed the third spot.
Super Ball offered plenty of spectacle in its many other categories as well. In the 1vs1 Panna KO competition, French Anas Boukami defeated Boston Jade, from the US, in the final; local Czech hero Martin Gajdos ended up third, and British Harriet Pavlou made history ending up in the fourth position – the first woman to ever reach this spot in the Super Ball Panna tournament.
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The Sick Three challenge saw local Czech talent Danny Prazak beat German Chris Bennet Bröker aka CBB in the final to claim the title, with an unexpected third-place finish: Tony Ma, from Hong Kong. Vasek Klouda, the Czech legend of footbag (a brother sport to Freestyle Football), also participated and landed an amazing combo, but the judges found it wasn’t according to the rules of the competition, so he couldn’t make it to the podium in the end.
In the Routine competition, Nick Seyda from the USA took the crown, with Patrick Bäurer from Germany and Nicolas Rossier from Switzerland in the second and third positions respectively.
The Show Flow tournament, just like the male battles one, was claimed by Norwegian legend Erlend Fagerli. Crowd favourite Philip Warren Gertsson aka PWG and Álvaro López from Spain ended up second and third.
In the Ironman category, Dutch Bodhi Bos defeated Polish Olivier Grodecki from Poland in the final; Ethan Audiot, from France, took the bronze medal. French-Guyanese Wiwi claimed the title of Kill The Beat champion.
The Intermediate Battles saw Joshua Lockard from the USA taking the title, with Italian Giorgio Luppi and Belgian William Cochart finishing in the second and third spots. Last but not least, in the Rookie Battles, Alex Herbaut from France beat Dutch Mike van der Streek aka Mighty Mike in the Final; yet another Frenchman, EnzoRuta, ended up in the third position.
The event, hosted at the Clarion Congress hotel in Prague, was live-streamed on the WFFA channels for the first time, with a luxury team of casters and commentators that included the likes of Pekko Piirto, Daniël Rooseboom, Paloma Mayo, Miran Pirner, Alex Hyland-Cid, Bailey de Regt, Mighty Mike and Kevin Medina. The 2021 Super Ball was judged by an elite team of officials led by Kitti Szász (the first female Head Judge in the history of the tournament) and consisting of Javi Sanz, Jordan Meunier, Mateusz Odrzygóźdź akaLotar and Michał Rycaj aka MichRyc, as well as Miran Pirner, Pekko Piirto and Daniël Rooseboom. The tournament also saw the debut alongside the traditional Super Ball MC, Lorenzo Pinciroli, of promising names such as Nabil Hamza and Laura Biondo – the first time ever in which a female master of ceremonies co-hosted the Finals.
Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!
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