Asian Games 2026: What is Teqball? Explained

What Is Teqball?

At its core, teqball is football meets table tennis.

The sport combines elements of football, and freestyle skills and is played on a curved table similar to the size of those used in table tennis.

Two players – or two pairs in doubles – stand on either side of this specially designed arched table in a teqball match. The players volley a standard football back and forth over a raised middle section, much like in a table tennis rally.

The players may use any part of their body except their hands and arms to strike the ball. That means they can hit the ball using feet, thighs, chest, shoulders, and head as is the case in football.

The table itself is teqball's signature piece of equipment. The curved surface means the ball rebounds unpredictably compared to a flat table tennis surface, rewarding players who can read the bounce and control the ball with precision on the first touch.

Rallies often display juggling volleys, acrobatic strikes which often tends to took like a highlight reel from a football pitch.

Scoring

Teqball scoring follows a set-based system similar to table tennis or volleyball, adapted for the pace of the sport:

Sets and points: Matches are played as best-of-three sets, with each set won by the first player or pair to reach 12 points.

Winning margin: If the score reaches 11-11, play continues until one side establishes a two-point lead.

How points are scored: A point is awarded whenever a player or team fails to legally return the ball across the table. For example, if the ball touches the ground on their side, if they use their hands or arms, if they touch the ball twice in succession without it crossing the table, or if they send the ball out of the designated playing area.

Serving: Players alternate serves in blocks (typically after every two points, similar to table tennis), and the serve rotates between sides to keep the contest fair as the set progresses.

Deciding set: In a best-of-three match, if both sides win one set each, a decisive third set is played under the same rules.

This structure keeps matches brisk and high-intensity, with rallies often decided by a single mistimed touch, making teqball as much a test of composure under pressure as it is of raw ball skill.

Teqball's origin and growth

Invented in Hungary only in 2014, teqball is a relatively young sport. The sport was invented by a group of football enthusiasts, including former professional players, who wanted to find a way to sharpen their ball-control skills.

It has since grown rapidly under the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), gaining traction across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and now Asia.

Its expansion across the Asian continent has been particularly swift. Teqball was already a medal sport at this year's Asian Youth Games in Bahrain and the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, before featuring at the Asian Beach Games in China.