FIFG opens inaugural Youth World Cup in Germany with 22 nations

The inaugural FIFG Youth World Cup opened in Gahlenz, Germany, with 22 nations represented as the Federation for International FootGolf put its first global youth championship on the field. FIFG said 84 players from those 22 countries were officially confirmed for the individual tournament, giving the new event a scale that goes well beyond an exhibition stop.

The tournament is being staged under the official framework of FIFG and hosted by Deutscher Footgolf Verband e.V. Event delivery is being handled by a dedicated organizing committee from the German federation, supported by experienced FootGolf officials, volunteers and regional partners. FIFG selected Germany after an initial bid round that involved the Youth Committee and the Board, a formal process that places the event inside the federation’s wider competition structure from the start.

FIFG’s schedule for the week set early arrival for Wednesday, July 15, registration and practice for Thursday, July 16, the opening ceremony that day, and the first competition rounds beginning Friday, July 17. The official draw for Youth World Cup 2026 was completed automatically through the tournament system and witnessed by representatives of the Swedish, German and Swiss associations, adding another layer of federation oversight to the launch.

The point of the event reaches beyond the opening ceremony. By creating a youth world championship beneath its senior World Cup structure, FIFG is giving national associations a reason to build junior pipelines, identify players earlier and prepare athletes for international team play before they reach the top level. The age-group format also gives the sport a repeatable championship model, with a world title now available to younger players rather than only to senior competitors.

Gahlenz already has some FootGolf history behind it. The Deutscher FootGolf-Bund e. V. listed the venue for KaiserKAP 2025 on October 4-5 as a two-day FIFG Regional Tour event, with 100 FIFG points awarded each day. That existing competition footprint helps explain why the site could absorb a world youth event and why Germany has moved into a more central role on the European FootGolf map.

The opening in Germany also drew notice across the sport. FootGolf South Africa posted about the Youth World Cup taking place in Germany, and FootGolf USA shared photos from the opening ceremony, showing that federations beyond Europe are watching the event closely as a precedent for future youth competition.