On the weekend 1^st-2^nd of March, the famous FISTF Major of Frameries took place.

The 33^rd edition of the tournament was again a perfect example on how our sport should be played.

A total of 211 players from 14 countries competed in 6 different individual categories plus one team competition.

We also had consolation tournaments for all the categories, so everybody had the chance to play a minimum of 4 games.

In the open category, the unstoppable Carlos Flores lifted the trophy for 11^th time in his career. His 1^st was back in 2009. In the final he needed a sudden death to overcome Bessim Golger.

In the women’s category Carolina Villarigues was the winner, in the final versus Melina Scheen.

Marco Averna, Ruby Matthews and Noah Denne were the winners in the under (12/16/20) categories.

Finally, in the veterans Charlie Aquilina climbed in the higher stage of the podium and Benoit Massart was the finalist.

On Sunday, 44 teams competed for the crown. Reggio Emilia expand their winning record to 11 titles. In the final they had to beat Bormla SC.

A Weekend of Table Football Excellence

The weekend of February 8-9 saw the 2025 Australian Grand Prix held at the iconic Ultra Football venue in Abbotsford, Melbourne. This pinnacle event of the domestic Subbuteo scene was even more thrilling this year with the participation of world #5 Wolfgang Haas from Austria.
Haas arrived early on Saturday from Korea, and lasted through the day with some superb table football to claim the title… then flew out on Sunday!!

The Draw and Group Stage Drama

The draw was conducted on Friday, February 7, in a night that showcased the camaraderie and passion of the Subbuteo community in Australia. As one keen observer noted, “it is like a reunion.” Indeed, it was, with players from across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore attending the dinner draw, sharing drinks, and rekindling old friendships.

Twenty-eight players were split across seven groups. While every draw at this level is challenging, Group 4 was widely viewed as the “Group of Death,” featuring 4th seed Luke Radziminski, Paul Mercer, Adrian Elmer, and Chris Bowen from the UK.

Group Stage Highlights

The group phase delivered some fascinating results. Highlights included:

Adrian Connolly’s Comeback: Connolly’s come-from-behind win over 3rd seed Eliot Kennedy to top Group 3. Although Daniel Lombard was eliminated in the group phase, he took out silverware on Sunday, winning the ATFA President’s Cup.
Steve Dettre’s Upset: Dettre upset 7th seed Nick Brill to win Group 7 with three straight wins.
Franck Cozzarin’s Narrow Escape: Australian World Cup representative Franck Cozzarin narrowly escaped Group 5 on goal difference after a scoreless draw with Christos Garagounis, who later became the runner-up in the Consolation Event.
Peter Thomas’s Goal Fest: Thomas scored an impressive 20 goals without reply.
Tasmanian Triumph: Yago Dzelalija progressed from Group 6, making it two Tasmanians in the next phase.
Kiwi Progress: New Zealanders Conrad Mudge and Richard Edeson showed significant improvement, both finishing 3rd in their groups, nearly becoming the first Kiwis to progress to the next phase of a Grand Prix.

Knockout Stage Excitement

In the Barrage, all seeds progressed, though Benji Batten needed sudden death extra time to overcome Paul Mercer. Adrian Connolly couldn’t maintain his group form and bowed out to a goal from Franck Cozzarin in the dying seconds.

The quarter-finals saw the top seeds advance, though Eliot Kennedy’s relegation to 2nd place in his group meant he faced Wolfgang Haas. Despite drawing level 1-1 in the first half, Haas ultimately proved too strong. Luke Radziminski needed penalties to overcome Singapore’s Vikas Chandiramani after a scoreless draw, a surprising outcome given both players’ attacking prowess.

Semi-Finals and the Grand Finale

The semi-finals featured three Melbourne TFC players. Peter Thomas triumphed over clubmate Benji Batten 2-1 after Batten had equalized. Wolfgang Haas worked hard to defeat Luke Radziminski 2-0.

The final pitted Austrian champion Wolfgang Haas against top-ranked Australian Peter Thomas. The game was tight until a fantastic goal from Haas broke the deadlock. Despite Thomas’s valiant efforts, Haas deservedly claimed the 2025 Australian Grand Prix title, adding to his collection of silverware.

Teams Event Showdown

The Teams event on Sunday, February 9, featured two Victorian clubs (Melbourne TFC and Northern Phoenix TFC) and two clubs from New South Wales (Northern Falcons TFC and the newly formed Tumbleweeds). Given their players’ performances in the individual event, Melbourne TFC were hot favorites and lived up to expectations, winning all three of their games to take the title.

Northern Phoenix took the opportunity to introduce two new players, Nathan Heard and George Theocharis, providing them with valuable experience. The margin between Northern Falcons TFC and the Tumbleweeds was extremely tight, with the Falcons edging out on goal difference. To emphasis how tight this was, the clash between the two finished 1-1, but the Tumbleweeds had a better goal difference across the individual matches of that head-to-head clash.

A Memorable Event

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix was a resounding success, filled with thrilling matches, renewed friendships, and new connections. Special thanks to Louis Dettre and Steve Dettre for their hard work on the streaming, and to the many voices that contributed to the commentary, including 2024 FISTF World Cup commentary star Hugh Best.

Louis Dettre – production editor

Commentary team featuring Hugh Best

We eagerly anticipate the Asian Cup in October, which will be held at the UltraFootball venue in Sydney. Bring it on!

Adrian Connolly

A little late with this report, but good to have in the archives!
ONE MORE TIME… NAPLES IS ORANGE!
Individual and team doubles!
What a tournament for the orange!
The Pirates bring home the victory in the cadets category, beating the Neapolitan friends from Subbuteo Vomero in the finals!
The main team on the other hand beats the Fliamme Azzurre in the finals and for the second year in a row we win the International open of Napoli.

The Fighters also claimed two individual titles with Mato Ciccarelli winning the open category beating in the finals the Spaniard Carlos Flores and Marco Ferrucci, taking the Under 16 title beating in the finals Alessandro Siciliano, the player of Cosenza.

(Courtesy of Napoli Fighters FB)

Bormla Subbuteo Club (Malta) has been nominated for the The Team of the Year by the Malta Sports Journalists Association National Sports Awards 2025.

Currently No.1 in the FISTF Team World Rankings, they have had 15 podium placings from 20 tournaments.

New Zealand Subbuteo Association has awarded physical caps to the players who appeared in their first international late last year, against Australia.
Richard Edeson, Conrad Mudge, Andrew Shearer and Andrew Miller were presented with the special ‘ black caps’ last week.

The term ‘cap’ originated in England in the 19th century.
In the early days of football, teams would wear different hats to distinguish themselves from their opponents.
Representing your national team is considered a great honor, no matter what sport, and a sign of a player’s abilities.
While players generally no longer receive a physical cap, the term “cap” is still used to describe a player’s involvement in an international game.

SC Fiamme Azzurre (ITA) claimed the Paris Major team event, beating CCT Eagles Napoli 3-1 in the final.

It was an emphatic win, with three dominant wins (Azzurre players listed second)
Antonio METTIVIERI 1 – 3 Dimitrios DIMOPOULOS
Christophe DHEUR 3 – 1 Massimiliano NASTASI
Massimo BOLOGNINO 1 – 6 Juan NOGUERA
Marco DI VITO 1 – 6 Luca COLANGELO

All results
Skore App

World number one Carlos Flores (ESP/F.Lli Bari Reggio Emilia)  claimed his second consecutive Paris Major, beating Luca Colangelo (ITA/ SC Fiamme Azzurre) 3-1 in the final.
Flores beat Samuel Bartolo (MLT/Valletta SC) 5-3 in an enthralling semi final, while Colangelo beat Luca Zambello (ITA/F.Lli Bari Reggio Emilia) 3-2.

Veterans number 1 Gianfranco Calonico (ITA/Master Sanremo) took the Veterans event, beating Charles Aquilina (MLT/Bormla SC) 1-0.

Lea Despretz (BEL/Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer) claimed the women’s event, beating Audrey Herbaut (FRA/ Elan Subbutéo Club de Champs-sur-Marne) in the final.

Noah Denne (BEL/SC Lion’s Eugies) took the U20 title, Louis Soret (FRA/Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer) took the U16 and Augustin Ledoit (FRA/ Paris Université Club)

Results:
https://skore.ftcissy.fr/rounds/individual

Taichi Kato (JPN/ Yokohama OSC) claimed the Japan Satellite with a shoot out win over clubmate Takafumi Kido  2-1 after a 0-0 draw.

In the semifinals, Kido defeated Andrew Martini (JPN/Tokyo Sunzeol TFC) 4-0, while Kato beat Kazuki Okano (JPN/Yokohama OSC) 3-1.

Podium placegetters

The Winter Satellite Open tournament took place on January 12, 2025 in Iwaki City.

Iwaki City, located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, is a vibrant community that has overcome the significant challenges posed by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Despite the devastation caused by the disaster, Iwaki has steadily rebuilt itself and continues to thrive as a symbol of resilience.

Iwaki is also home to Iwaki FC, a football club competing in Japan’s J2 League. The team is renowned for its dedication to the community and has become a beacon of inspiration for sports enthusiasts in the region. The Iwaki FC Park, their state-of-the-art facility, played a pivotal role in hosting this historic tournament.

Table football was introduced to Iwaki two years ago thanks to the efforts of Mitsuhide Iwaki, a former Minister of Justice, who played a key role in connecting the local community with this sport. Since then, the sport has gained traction, culminating in the establishment of the Fukushima Table Football Club, which now boasts a membership of approximately 30 players.

This tournament was a landmark event, marking the first official FISTF-sanctioned tournament in the Tohoku region of Japan. Tohoku, which comprises six prefectures in the northeastern part of Japan, has historically been underrepresented in the table football community. Furthermore, this was the first official table football competition ever held in Fukushima Prefecture.

The tournament also marked the debut of players from the Fukushima Table Football Club in an official competition, representing a significant milestone for the local club. The event was held at Iwaki FC Park, providing an excellent venue that underscored the synergy between football and table football in the region.

In the Open category, 21 players participated.

The Plate tournament winner was Kazuhito Yoshihiro (JPN/Tokyo Sparkling Shooters).

Plate podium

We would like to extend our utmost respect to the officials of Iwaki FC Park and all the players who participated in this tournament.