Teqball Makes Asian Games Debut: A Football-Tennis Hybrid Set to Bring a New Kind of Drama to Aichi-Nagoya

The Asian Games have always been a showcase of established sporting traditions, but the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya is also making room for something considerably newer. 

Among the six disciplines making their debut as medal sports is teqball, a fast-growing sport that takes the familiar ingredients of football and mixes them with the precision and rhythm of table tennis. When the Asian Games open in Japan on September 19, teqball will have its first opportunity to compete for continental honours. And for India, the debut carries particular interest, with a small but experienced contingent entering the competition with an international medal already to its name.

Teqball was invented in 2014 and has since developed into a sport governed by the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), which is headquartered in Budapest and has 124 affiliated member federations. Its arrival at the Asian Games represents another step in the sport's push towards a larger international audience.

The origins of teqball are rooted in a simple football experiment. Former professional footballer Gabor Borsanyi, political entrepreneur Gyorgy Gattyan and computer scientist Viktor Huszar came together to develop the sport. Borsanyi had experimented with playing football on a table tennis table, but the conventional flat surface created a problem: getting the ball to bounce naturally towards the player was difficult.

The solution was to change the shape of the table. The result was the distinctive curved teqball table, designed to produce predictable and playable rebounds. The sport was officially presented in Budapest in 2016, with Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho involved in its launch.

What began as an unusual variation of football has since evolved into a structured competitive sport, complete with international championships and standardised rules. Its appeal is easy to understand. Players have to combine footballing technique with balance, anticipation, precision and quick decision-making, while the curved table creates angles that make every exchange visually different from a conventional football rally.

How does teqball work?

At first glance, teqball may look like football being played on a strange table. The rules, however, give the sport a distinct identity. Players use a size-five football and can play either singles or doubles. Matches are contested over the best of three sets, with each set played to 12 points. The hands and arms are off limits. Players can use almost every other part of their body to control and return the ball, turning headers, thighs, knees, chests and feet into potential attacking weapons.

There is also a strict limit on touches. A player or team can use a maximum of three touches to return the ball. In doubles, both teammates must participate in the sequence by passing the ball to each other at least once. A player cannot use the same body part twice consecutively to touch the ball. The table itself is also out of bounds for players during play. If the ball clips the edge of the table, the rally is replayed.

Serving follows its own rhythm, with players or teams given two attempts to execute a successful serve. Service changes after every four points. A point is won when an opponent cannot make a legal return, sends the ball out of bounds or commits a foul, including touching the table or using the hands or arms. The rules may sound complicated on paper, but their purpose is straightforward: they force players to be creative while rewarding control and consistency.

India arrives with international experience

India will not be entering the Asian Games teqball competition without pedigree. Anas Baig, Declan Gonsalves and Quimcy Dsouza form India's contingent for the historic debut.

Baig and Gonsalves already have an international achievement to their names, having won India's bronze medal at the 2024 World Teqball Championships in Vietnam. At Aichi-Nagoya, Baig will compete in men's doubles alongside Gonsalves, while Dsouza will contest the women's singles event. Baig and Dsouza will also combine in mixed doubles. Their presence gives India an opportunity to make an early mark in a sport that is only now entering the Asian Games programme.

India's fixtures are yet to be announced, but the teqball competition is scheduled to take place between September 17 and 20.

Teqball is not the only newcomer in Aichi-Nagoya. The 2026 Asian Games will introduce six sporting disciplines to the programme: teqball, freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo. Across the Games, athletes are expected to compete in 469 medal events spread across 43 sporting disciplines. That is 12 fewer medal events than the previous edition in Hangzhou, but the inclusion of new sports underlines the organisers' effort to reflect changing sporting interests.

For teqball, however, the significance goes beyond simply adding another medal event. The Asian Games provide a major continental platform for a sport that is barely a decade old. Its combination of football skills, table-tennis-style exchanges and spectacular athletic movements could make it one of the more distinctive competitions on the schedule.

For Indian fans, there is an added reason to pay attention. With Baig and Gonsalves already World Championship medallists and Dsouza joining them in the national team, India has an opportunity to become one of the early success stories of teqball's Asian Games era.

The sport may have started with football being played on an unconventional table. In Aichi-Nagoya, it will have something much bigger at stake: its first Asian Games medals.