As pickleball only gets hotter in the U.S., another growing sport is looking for a similar spark.
Officials of Teqball — a soccer-and-ping pong hybrid — are looking to add the sport to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Born in Hungary around a decade ago, Teqball is more popular overseas than in North America, but it won’t be going into the U.S. market blindly.
- In January, The Teqball Group and FITEQ, the sport’s governing body, entered an $850,000 agreement with ESPN to livestream 12 U.S. events and six tape-delayed highlight shows.
- In April, Teqball signed soccer great Carli Lloyd as its first U.S. ambassador.
- As of January, Teqball reportedly had relationships with 17 MLS teams, all of which had tables in their facilities.
USA Teqball counts 1,000 professional players and 500,000 amateurs in the country.
There are currently no collective bargaining agreements, salary minimums, or broadcast deal shares in the U.S., and there is no union.
In 2021, Teqball generated $15 million globally, and its World Cup had a $200,000 purse.
Teqball Timeline
Teqball USA began a university tournament system earlier this year, with 400 colleges now owning tables and balls.
“No sport has ever been an Olympic sport without going through the collegiate pathway,” Teqball USA CEO Ajay Nwosu said.
Teqball, which is played by Lionel Messi, David Beckham, and Neymar Jr., has also been added to the 2023 European Games, 2023 Asian Beach Games, and 2024 Bolivarian Games.
