Beach Korfball Confirmed as Official Discipline for The World Games 2029 in Karlsruhe
The International Korfball Federation is delighted to celebrate a major milestone for our sport: Beach Korfball has been confirmed as an official sports discipline at The World Games 2029 in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Following its highly successful historic debut at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China, Beach Korfball will return alongside Indoor Korfball on the programme for the 13th edition of the event, scheduled from 19 to 29 July 2029.
The Karlsruhe 2029 Sports Programme, ratified on 25 April 2026, lists Korfball with both Beach and Indoor disciplines among approximately 35 sports. Around 4,000 world-class athletes from more than 110 countries and regions are expected to compete.
Karlsruhe holds special significance for The World Games. The south-western German city will become the first to host the multi-sport event twice, having previously organised the 3rd edition in 1989. Germany also hosted the 2005 edition in Duisburg.
Beach Korfball made its World Games debut in August 2025 at the Xinglong Lake Beach Arena in Chengdu. The dynamic, mixed-gender, four-a-side format — played on sand with short, high-intensity matches — captivated audiences with fast-paced action, spectacular long-range scores, and dramatic finishes. Chinese Taipei claimed the first-ever Beach Korfball World Games gold medal in a thrilling final against the Netherlands, sealed by a last-second long-range goal. Belgium took bronze. The event marked a proud moment for the global korfball community, highlighting the rapid growth and broad appeal of the beach variant since its development.
Korfball has been a continuous presence at The World Games since 1985. The confirmation of both Indoor and Beach disciplines for 2029 underscores the sport’s enduring place in the multi-sport programme and the IWGA’s recognition of Beach Korfball’s potential to engage new audiences.
This dual presence in Karlsruhe represents an outstanding opportunity to further raise the profile of korfball worldwide, inspire the next generation of players, and showcase the unique values of our mixed, team-oriented game on both sand and court.
The IKF congratulates all players, coaches, officials, national federations, and partners who contributed to the successful 2025 debut and looks forward with great anticipation to another outstanding chapter for Beach Korfball in 2029.
We invite the entire korfball family to celebrate this achievement and begin the journey toward Karlsruhe. Further details on qualification, formats, and schedules will be shared in due course.
Together, we continue to grow the game — on the court and on the beach.
Photos: Gertrude de Vries – www.korfbalfoto.nl
