Good news for all fistball players and those interested in fistball: The World Championship from July 22 to 29 in Mannheim will be broadcast on public television. All matches of the German team can be seen in a free livestream on swr.de as well as sportschau.de. A final match with German participation would also be shown live on SWR television. In addition, daily coverage is planned in the morning and midday magazines of ARD and ZDF.
“The contract with the sports rights and marketing agency SportA is a milestone for the sport of fistball in Germany. Should the German team reach the final, it would be the first time that a fistball match would be shown live on public television,” emphasizes Sönke Spille. The World Cup managing director is pleased about the extensive coverage. “In combination with the live matches on the internet platforms of SWR and Sportschau as well as the supplementary coverage during the entire World Cup week, we have terrific attention for the sport of fistball. I would like to thank everyone involved in making these broadcasts possible.”
Defending champion Germany starts the World Cup tournament on July 22 at 2 p.m. with a match against Namibia. The other group opponents at Rhein-Neckar-Stadion are Switzerland (July 23, 7 p.m.) and Italy (July 24, 10 a.m.).
All World Cup matches will be broadcast with English commentary on Fistball.TV. Talks are currently being held with other TV broadcasters in Europe, Asia and South America. Sönke Spille: “The 2023 Fistball World Championships will receive TV attention like never before.”
New match times on the final day
The International Fistball Association (IFA) has adjusted the match times for the final day as part of the TV negotiations. Instead of 6 p.m., the final at the SAP Are-na will now kick off at 3:30 p.m. This also affects the two matches before. The match for 5th place will start at 11 a.m., the bronze match at 1 p.m.
Day tickets for the SAP Arena
Experience the final of the Fistball World Championships up close: Single day tickets for the SAP Arena are now available. Over 21,000 tickets have been sold out so far for the entire World Cup week from July 22 to 29. With the start of the next sales phase, it is now possible to purchase individual tickets for the semi-finals, placement matches and the final in the SAP Arena for July 28 and 29 (Friday and Saturday) in the SAP Arena.
World Championship Managing Director Sönke Spille is looking forward to the final weekend and the special venue with great anticipation: “The Fistball World Championship in the SAP Arena will offer a unique backdrop that has never been seen before. Even without spectators, it is a goosebump atmosphere to stand in the arena. If you now imagine that the many fistball fans and sports-mad spectators will be in the stands here on July 28 and 29, creating a gigantic atmosphere, I actually can’t wait for it to finally start.”
For the first time in history, a World Cup final phase will be played indoors on natural grass. In just two days, the SAP Arena will be transformed into a fistball temple unlike any other.
Daniel Hopp, Managing Director of the SAP Arena: “We are eagerly awaiting the Fistball World Cup and are delighted to be able to add a new format to the SAP Arena event portfolio with this top-class sporting event.”