What is Teqball? All you need to know about the sport making its Asian Games debut; India's squad, schedule & more

Teqball will be making its debut at the Asian Games 2026 as a medal sport when the continental showpiece kicks off in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19. The Asian Games 2026 is expected to host a total of 469 medal events in 43 sporting disciplines, which is 12 less than the previous edition in 2022 in Hangzhou.

Teqball is among the six sporting disciplines making its debut at the Asian Games 2026. The other sporting disciplines are Freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, and virtual taekwondo. Invented in 2014, teqball is a sport that combines elements of football, table tennis, and freestyle skills and is visually spectacular to watch.

The sport is being governed by the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), which is based in Budapest. A total of 124 member federations are affiliated with FITEQ.

Teqball and its origin

Teqball is a brainchild of three football enthusiasts - former professional player Gabor Borsanyi, political entrepreneur Gyorgy Gattyan, and computer scientist Viktor Huszar. The idea for teqball came from Borsanyi, who got bored with traditional football and used to play football on a table tennis table.

However, Borsanyi found out that the horizontal flat surface of the table tennis table made it difficult for the ball to bounce to the players. The table was then bent, with the arched surface making it easy for the ball to bounce to the foot of the players. The sport was officially presented in 2016 in Budapest by legendary Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho.

How is teqball played?

In teqball, players use almost every part of their body except the hands and arms. Teqball is played with the ball that is used in football, with size 5 being official. Like in tennis, table tennis and badminton, teqball can be played in singles (two players) and doubles (four players) with a match consisting of best of three sets.

Each set is played until the player of the team reaches 12 points, while every player or team has two attempts to complete a successful service. After every four points, the team or player change service. No player can touch and return the ball with the same body part twice in a row.

Also, each player or team is allowed to return the ball with a maximum of three touches by any body part, except for the hands and arms. In the case of a doubles match, a team can have a maximum of three touches, but teammates must pass the ball at least once to each other.

However, no player can touch the table while playing, and in case of an edge ball, the rally shall be repeated. Scoring a Point: A point is awarded when the opponent fails to return the ball legally, hits the ball out of bounds, or commits a foul (such as touching the table or using hands/arms).

Who are India's teqball stars?

In India, Anas Baig, Declan Gonsalves and Quimcy Dsouza are the most notable names in teqball. The trio will be representing India at the Asian Games 2026, later this month. At the Asian Games 2026, Dsouza will compete in women's singles. She will also pair up with Anas in mixed doubles event. Gonsalves and Anas will pair up in men's doubles.

In fact, Anas and Declan have won India a bronze medal at the World Teqball Championships in 2024 in Vietnam. Although India's fixtures are yet to be out, the trio will compete between September 17 and 20.