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Teqball, a football-table tennis hybrid, debuts at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Teqball will make its Asian Games debut in Japan. (AFP Photo)
Ever heard of a game called football?
Or Table tennis?
If your answer is yes (God, I hope it is the case), then it won’t take you long to understand what in the world is teqball.
As you may have deduced by now, it’s a sport that combines the elements of football (mostly football) and table tennis, resulting in a game which is played on a specially designed curved table.
Why am I hearing it for the first time?
Well, it’s a sport that came into existence not long back. 2016, to be precise, when the legendary Ronaldinho presented the newly minted sport to the world. The sport traces its roots in Hungary when three football fans came together and brainstormed to find a way to take football to the ping-pong table. Largely based on football, the sport is set for a much bigger stage at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya (Japan).
And yes, three Indians are set to compete.
India will be represented by Mohamed Anas Imran Beg, Declan Marshall Gonsalves, and Quimcy Dsouza, competing across the men’s doubles, women’s singles, and mixed doubles events.
Oh! Tell me more!
Cool. So, it’s played on a specially designed curved table that resembles a table tennis table. A football instead of a small table tennis ball is used, and players use their feet, legs, chest, and head to send the ball over the net. The hands and arms cannot be used.
The shape of the table is central to the game. Its curved surface not only allows the ball to bounce well but also dictates its direction. So it demands control, balance, quick reactions, and precise touches from the players.
In singles, two players face each other, while doubles is played between two teams of two.
The first teqball table was created in 2014, while the sport’s international federation, FITEQ, was established in 2017.
So how do I play it, and what are its rules?
The scoring system is fairly straightforward, but the way players win points is what makes teqball different from football or table tennis. A match is played in best-of-three sets, with the first player or team to reach 12 points winning a set. If the score reaches 11-11, however, the set must be won by a two-point margin.
Players serve the ball to begin each rally, and the serve changes after every four points. The ball must be returned to the opponent’s side of the table without being touched by the hands or arms. A player can use the head, chest, thighs, knees, and feet, with different parts of the body coming into play depending on the shot.
There is also a limit on how often the ball can be touched before it is returned. In singles, a player gets a maximum of three touches, while in doubles, the two players must combine for no more than three touches.
Crucially, the same body part cannot be used consecutively to control the ball.
A point is awarded when the opponent fails to return the ball correctly, allows it to bounce more than once on their side, hits it out of play, or commits another fault. The curved table adds another layer of difficulty because players have to judge not only the flight of the ball but also how it will rebound from the surface.
In doubles, there is an additional requirement: teammates must alternate touches when returning the ball. That means players have to combine technical skill with communication and positioning.
It can produce a rally of controlled touches before a player attempts to finish the point with a difficult shot. And because the table is smaller than a football pitch, but the ball is still moving quickly, reactions and precision are just as important as power.
The sport has men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles events. These are also the five events listed for teqball at the 2026 Asian Games.
The Teqball World Championships, which began in 2017, feature singles, doubles, and mixed doubles competitions. Teqball has also appeared at multi-sport events, including the 2023 European Games, and it continues to expand its presence.
India first encountered teqball around 2018-19. Unfortunately, its growth was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the sport has gradually found players and communities in cities including Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Meet the three Indian participants
Mohamed Anas Imran Beg: He hails from Mumbai and works in digital marketing while also playing and coaching teqball. Like his two teammates, he grew up playing football before discovering teqball. What started as an evening and weekend activity with friends developed into regular competition and training.
Beg is part of India’s men’s doubles and mixed doubles entries at the Asian Games. With Gonsalves, he has already had success at international level, winning a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the Teqball World Championships two years ago.
Declan Marshall Gonsalves: Also from Mumbai, he works in content and operations for an online portal. He too came to teqball through football and began playing seriously with the same group that included Beg and Dsouza.
Gonsalves will compete in men’s doubles alongside Beg. The pair’s World Championship bronze has given the Indian combination experience against international opposition.
Quimcy Dsouza
Quimcy Dsouza: She is based in Bengaluru and works as a test engineer. Dsouza grew up in Mumbai and, like Beg and Gonsalves, started with football before taking up teqball. She also has an athletics background and comes from a sporting family, with her father having played football and hockey at national level.
Dsouza will compete in women’s singles and mixed doubles at the Asian Games. She has been part of the effort to develop teqball communities in Bengaluru and has spoken about the challenge of building recognition for a sport that remains unfamiliar to much of the Indian sporting audience.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Teqball is a football-table tennis hybrid played on a specially designed curved table. Players use their feet, legs, chest, and head to send a football over the net without using their hands or arms. The game demands control, balance, and quick reactions as the curved surface dictates the ball’s bounce and direction.
Ask News18About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
September 16, 2026, 11:41 IST
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