Teqball, a hybrid of football and table tennis invented just 14 years ago, made its debut at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on Saturday. India’s three-athlete squad came within one match of a medal, with Quimcy Dsouza losing a tight women’s singles semi-final before narrowly missing out in Sunday’s bronze medal playoffs in both women's singles (11-12, 11-12 against Japan's Yuina Sakamoto) and mixed doubles alongside Mohamed Anas Baig (9-12, 6-12 against Vietnam).
The result marks a key advance by India in a sport that reached the country only in 2019, when Teqball India was formed, and whose serious development did not begin until 2021-22, as the pandemic stalled its early growth.
A look at the sport, its rules and its players:
What is teqball?
Teqball is a sport that combines football and table tennis, played with a football on a curved table. A match is contested between two players in singles, or two teams of two in doubles.
What is the history of teqball?
The sport was invented in Hungary in 2012 by former professional footballer Gábor Borsányi, entrepreneur György Gattyán and computer scientist Viktor Huszár. Borsányi came up with the idea after thinking of a curved table that would make a football bounce back towards players more effectively than a standard table tennis table. Working with Huszár, he developed the table that became the basis of the sport.
What is the equipment needed?
The ball used in the sport is a regular size-5 (full size) football, but filled to a lower pressure.
{{/usCountry}}The ball used in the sport is a regular size-5 (full size) football, but filled to a lower pressure.
{{/usCountry}}The table, according to the international federation, Fiteq, must be “manufactured by the Hungarian Teqball Group”.
It can be played indoors and outdoors, with tournaments also known to take place on sand. At the Asian Games, matches are being played indoors.
Also read: From MMA to teqball: Six sports making their debut at 2026 Asian Games
What are the rules?
A match is played in best-of-three sets format, with the first player or team reaching 12 points winning the set.
Like in football, the ball cannot make contact with the arm or hand, while all other body parts can be used to touch the ball. A player or team has a maximum of three touches before being required to send the ball across the net to the opponent, with the ball needing to make contact with the table to be deemed in play. Players also cannot use the same body part twice in succession to touch the ball.
In doubles, however, the ball must be passed to a teammate at least once before playing it towards the opponent.
No player is allowed to touch the table, reducing the chances of injury through contact.
Does India have a federation?
Yes. Teqball India was formed in 2019, and is presently based in Mumbai. It is affiliated with Fiteq, and awaits recognition by the country's Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
How many Indians actually play?
Not too many at the moment. Nihar Shah, Teqball India's technical director, said the country currently has around 180-200 registered players. For context, the figure for pickleball, another new sport, was already into the thousands in 2024. Shah hopes the sport's Asian Games exposure provides a significant boost to that number.
Also read: From 200 registered players to vying for Asian Games medal, tracing India's teqball journey
Are Indians competitive in it?
After gaining initial competitive exposure at national tournaments within India, the players gradually started competing abroad. Fiteq, the global body, organises frequent Global Series and World Championships. At the 2024 World Championships in Vietnam, the Indian men's doubles pair of Mohamed Anas Baig and Declan Gonsalves won bronze.
How many Indian teqers are at Aichi-Nagoya?
India has a three-member teqball squad at the 2026 Asian Games, competing in women's singles (Quimcy Dsouza), men's doubles (Baig and Gonsalves) and mixed doubles (Dsouza and Baig). The squad has no coach; Shah is accompanying them instead.
All of these players are self-taught, and have professional jobs.