Teqball: How did this hybrid sport get so popular in just 14 years?

Remember Cristiano Ronaldo's spectacular bicycle kick against Juventus in the UCL quarter-final in 2018? Imagine that on a curved table tennis table. Well, it might be a little difficult to imagine for the layman but this is what Teqball is all-about. And just 14 years after its invention, this football-table tennis mashup is having its Asian Games moment.

All you need to know about Teqball

Teqball made it to news this year even more as it made its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and India's three-athlete squad delivered an encouraging performance, which brought them within one match of a podium finish. Quimcy Dsouza fought through a tight women's singles semi-final before narrowly missing out in the bronze medal playoff against Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto (11-12, 11-12). Quimcy and mixed doubles partner Mohamed Anas Baig also pushed hard in their third-place match, falling 9-12, 6-12 to Vietnam.

For a sport that only arrived in the country in 2019 via Teqball India, and whose momentum was stalled by the pandemic until serious development began in 2021-22, reaching the medal matches at a major continental event represents a significant leap forward for teqball as a sport in India.

Teqball's history doesn't go a long back, but just in 2012, when the sport was invented in Hungary by former professional footballer Gábor Borsányi, entrepreneur György Gattyán and computer scientist Viktor Huszár. Gábor came up with the idea after thinking of a curved table that would make a football bounce back towards players more effectively than a standard table tennis table. Working with Viktor, he developed the table that became the basis of the sport.

Teqball: Equipment and rules

The ball used in teqball is a regular size-5 (full size) football, but filled to a lower pressure. The table, according to the international federation, Fiteq, must be “manufactured by the Hungarian Teqball Group”.

The sport can be played both indoors and outdoors, with tournaments also known to take place on sand.

A match is played in best-of-three sets format, with the first player or team reaching 12 points winning the set.

Similar to that of a game of football, the ball in a teqball match can also not make contact with the arm or hand, while all other body parts can be used to touch the ball. A player or team has a maximum of three touches before being required to send the ball across the net to the opponent, with the ball needing to make contact with the table to be deemed in play. Players also cannot use the same body part twice in succession to touch the ball.

In doubles, however, the ball must be passed to a teammate at least once before playing it towards the opponent.

No player is allowed to touch the table, which reduces the chances of injury through contact.

As of now, as per Nihar Shah, Teqball India's technical director, India has around 180-200 registered players.

What maybe the key drivers of growth of this sport?

A strong governing body: The International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) was established in 2017, just three years after the sport's invention in Hungary, to standardise rules, host World Championships, and build national federations worldwide.

A high-profile star power: Global football icons like Brazilian legend Ronaldinho became early global ambassadors, showcasing the sport and attracting millions of social media views with acrobatic, low-injury, non-contact rallies.

Low barrier and high skill: Because it requires no physical contact, anyone from backyard hobbyists to professional football clubs can use it as a training tool for ball control, coordination, and reflexes.

Major multisport integration: FITEQ successfully lobbied for inclusion in regional events like the African and European Games, leading up to its recent high-profile debut as a medal event at the ongoing Asian Games 2026.

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