Great news for freestylers in Sweden – and the whole of Europe: one of the world’s best freestylers, Philip Warren Gertsson a.k.a. PWG, is organising an awesome Meet in Helsingborg, Sweden between November 4th and 6th!
The event will take place at the Aktivitetshuset Tryckeriet venue in the Swedish city. Both participation and accommodation are free for all participants: whoever wants to join only needs to bring a blanket!
For more information, follow PWG’s Instagram account at @pwgfreestyle and send him a DM!
Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow 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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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).
.
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?
.
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!”
.
World Final lineup 2022
.
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
.
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!
Check all results of the tournament on its official Tournify page: click on the logo for more details!
Not even the most adverse of weather conditions can defeat the energy and positivity of Freestyle Football athletes: this is probably the main learning of the first-ever WFFA US Open, a brand-new competition that took place on the weekend of July 2nd and 3rd at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida during the Daytona Soccer Fest.
The WFFA US Open was originally split into two days and two stages, but rain and thunderstorm forced the organisers to distribute it across three different locations. The first day, Saturday, July 2nd, featured the qualifying rounds, with judges Laura Biondo and Charly Iacono, led by head judge Andrew Henderson, deciding the battle order for the knockout stage. Host Daniel Dennehy, an unmissable voice in the Freestyle Football community, presented the competition.
However, when the crowd was starting to gather in numbers, attracted by the prospect of an exciting 1×1 battle competition at the Fan Zone of the Daytona circuit, a thunderstorm alarm left no other choice for the WFFA but to postpone the thrills until the next morning.
On Sunday, July 3rd, the day started brightly, with amazing battles in the Top 32 and Top 16 rounds. Great stars of the sport, such as former World Champion Ricardinho and Colombian legend Boyka, offered amazing quality displays. However, extreme weather conditions struck again right when the Finals were about to start: the competition had to be delayed and moved to a new location, under the protection of the stands of the world-renowned Daytona circuit.
After the pause, though, the quality of the participants shone again at extraordinary levels. The men’s final featured a top-class intercontinental clash of styles and personalities, with Filipino master Philip Warren Gertsson, a.k.a. PWG, beating Costa Rican icon Jeffry Chacón a.k.a. Pagu in an extraordinary showdown. The same can be said of the women’s bracket, where local hero Caitlyn Schrepfer beat French starlet Yoanna Dallier in a fantastic battle.
Once the first WFFA US Open champions were crowned, an extra competition took place: a raffle to decide who would get the bonus prize of the tournament, no less than a trip to Super Ball 2022. Joshua Lockhard, from the US, was lucky enough to take home the award and will represent the land of stars and stripes in the world’s greatest open in Prague next August.
Re-watch the WFFA US Open Finals (including a special show featuring a Q&A with Andrew, Charly and Laura) on the YouTube channel of the WFFA:
For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
New event alert! One of the world’s most iconic freestylers, Phillip Warren Gertsson, has created a new concept for participants of all ages and levels: the 7 Moves Football Freestyle Tournament!
This newly created competition will take place at the Aktivitetshuset Tryckeriet venue in Helsingborg, Sweden between June 10th and 11th.
“The competition is a clash of styles”, explains the creator, PWG. “There is no elimination in the final and everyone has a fair chance to redeem themselves in the competition that favours them”.
The rules are as follows:
There are 7 different competitions, which will be randomised during the day; they might include Sick Three, Best Lower Combo, Upper Flow, Sit Flow, Show Flow, Transition Game, Big 1, 3 Touches or Kill The Beat
Each participant will get 0 to 10 points from each competition
All points will be added at the end; the winner will be the freestyler with the most points
Accommodation between June 10th and 12th will be free. The afterparty will be held at the Kappa Bar in Helsingborg.
For more information and signups, follow PWG’s Instagram account and send him a DM.
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.
.
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!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We use essential cookies to enable certain features. Third parties set cookies for both essential and non-essential purposes including analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) and advertising. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
English (UK) 
Español