Messina greets the ITSF World Champions League Finals 2026 with the awareness of having written a historic page for international table football and for city sport. The most important world club competition promoted by the International Table Soccer Federation, hosted in Italy for the first time, ended at the “PalaRescifina”, transformed into the “Città di Messina” Gaming arena. A debut that found in the city of the Strait a setting worthy of the event: 26 countries represented, 534 athletes competing, five official categories (men, women, junior, senior and Paralympic) and an organizational machine that was able to combine entertainment, inclusion and participation.
The final day conveyed the image of an involved and proud city, capable of welcoming the world of table soccer with warmth and professionalism. A climate underlined by the satisfaction of the federal leaders, with the national president Francesco Bonanno and the international president Farid Lounas at the forefront, together with “Mediterranea Eventi”, which oversaw the organization. The recognition received from the international federation, which covered Messina and the Champions League Finals on a global scale, is the seal on a long and complex work.
On the sporting front, the finals offered high-level challenges and great balance. In the Paralympic tournament, success for the Sicilian team from Bagheria “ASD In Movimento”, with Domenico Smario and Kevi Recour, victorious 30-19 over the “Sono Noi” team of Luigi Iannone and Gianluca Vuodo. Third place for Polha Varese, who beat the second team of “In Movimento” in a photo finish 30-28. In the senior tournament, the lowest step of the podium went to the Americans of Dallas Fire, capable of winning 44-42 over the Germans of OTC Ottweiler; while the all-French final rewarded TFT Toulouse, winning 40-20 over CBF Le Kremlin-Bicetre.
Entertainment and balance also in the women’s tournament, decided by a hard-fought German derby: Lowen Hamburg got the better of Bears Berlin 40-37; with Team Hotshot Graz completing the podium. In the men’s tournament, the Austrian derby crowned TFC Philoro, who beat TSV Huting Igels Graz 40-32; third place for the Germans of Boofken Munster 08. Among the juniors, success for the Germans of Alemania Aachen with 40-31 over the French of BFAV Avesnes Les Aubert, with FC St. Pauli and V. Hamburg completing the podium.
Great participation for the interscholastic tournament which involved over one hundred students from city and provincial institutes: success for the “Catalfamo” IC in the lower secondary school category, with F. Barbuscia, M. Barbuscia and Cocuzza. Second place for the IC “San Francesco di Paola” (Spanò, Tripoli and Irrera), third for the IC Foscolo di Taormina (Puglisi, Ardizzone and Giardina). Among upper secondary schools, first place went to the Liceo Scientifico “Galilei” (IIS Maurolico) with Pino, Bucca and Floridia, ahead of “Maurolico” (Borgia, Cotroneo and Tatì) and “Seguenza” (Mattiolo, Interdonato and Musolino).
The tournament reserved for “Young Entrepreneurs of Sicindustria Messina” was also attended, won by the Faccini-De Vincenzo couple.
There is also space for training and in-depth analysis, with the participation of the training course for journalists “Words without barriers: talking about disability” which saw among the speakers Lorenzo Sani, national councilor of the OdG and co-author of the guide “Communicating disability. The person first”; Pasquale Quaranta, diversity editor of the GEDI group and journalist for La Stampa and Repubblica; Enrica Marcenaro, national press officer AISM – Italian Multiple Sclerosis Association; Nicoletta La Torre, ambassador of the Decathlon Foundation; Pietro Di Paola, vice president of USSI (Italian Sports Press Union) of Messina.
The closure of the ITSF World Champions League leaves Messina an important legacy: not only a great sporting event but the confirmation of a city capable of being an international stage, a meeting point between sport, inclusion and culture. A shared success, which transformed organizational effort into pride and which projects Messina to the center of the world table soccer map.