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Have you ever been to your friends house and seen a foosball table? Maybe you noticed that they are everywhere in the United States, but wondered if they are popular anywhere else? Well, in this article we will go over everything you need to know about foosball and where it is popular.
So where is foosball most popular?
Although foosball is popular all over the world, it is most popular in Europe and the United States. There are monthly leagues that have people from all around the world that compete to be the top foosball player. This shows you just how popular foosball really is.
If you want to know more about foosball and why it is so popular, you will want to keep reading this article. You can also check out this video to learn about the fierce competition of professional foosball.
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Where is foosball being played today?
It’s being played all over the world and is considered one of the best table-based games. To maintain the popularity of the game, ITSF (International Table Soccer Federation) was founded on August 16th, 2002. It is a non-profit organization headquartered in France. Its sole purpose is to promote foosball. It also endorses soccer tables to meet the requirement for competitions. According to statistics given by the International Table Soccer Federation, foosball is most popular in Europe and the USA. It is truly a global sport though, with players from South America, North America, Africa, and Asia. In several countries, there are monthly leagues with tons of players from all over the world.
According to the ITSF (International Table Soccer Federation) nation wise ranking, the top countries on the list are:
- Germany
- France
- Austria
- Switzerland
- USA
Are there different names for foosball?
Germany being at the top of the list is genuine. Like outdoor soccer, Foosball is also dominated by Germans, with three German players in the top 100 players of the world. The name “foosball” has also been taken from the German name for soccer “fussball”.
We know foosball has many different names all over the globe. You can find many names given to similar games with some region-wise changes. As its name differs from different regions, so is the fact of its existence. Looking at the existence of the game, it erupted in various parts of Europe during the 1800’s. Some say Lucien Rosengart who has various patents invented it. He claimed to come up with the invention at the end of the 1930s to keep his grandchildren entertained during their winter vacations. Eventually, it spread from there and reached cafes in France.
Then Alejandro de Finisterre, who had many followers, claimed to come up with table football. He claimed to invent foosball when he was bored in a hospital in Spain. He was injured from a bombing during the Spanish Civil war. Table tennis-inspired him and asked a local carpenter to make table football. He patented his design for fútbolin in 1937.
Señor Finisterre, is also said to have invented table football. His first-ever patent was for game poles with little men attached to them. They granted it to him in Britain.
The world doesn’t know the real person behind table football, but they patent it with the name of Harold Searles Thornton. This is why the best person to award the credit for table football is Harold.
Table football spread like a wildfire. The ITSF came up with various tournaments and yearly world cups that were held in January. Most of these tournaments were held in France. Today though it has spread its coverage to over 60 countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Egypt, Japan, Peru, Norway, Denmark, Russia, South Africa and many more.
Who are the best players in the world?
According to the rankings given by the ITSF, the top players are listed below.
- Sprendeman Tony
- Haas Thomas
- Correia Yannick
- Struth Benjamin
- Hampel Raphael
According to the list, top players are from the top countries like Germany, the United States of America, Austria and France in which foosball is most popular. These players also influence the country and its youth to move towards a certain game. They are a major reason for the increasing number of players and the popularity of table football in these countries.
What makes foosball a popular game?
Table football is unique in its own way and leads a distinct impression on the observers. These different features make table football stand out from other table-based games. Some features and benefits of table football are mentioned below.
- Good for people’s health
We consider foosball to recover a person faster than anything else. It improves the player’s health by indulging in his or her physical activity. It helps people to spend their boring and unhappy time improving their skills and maintaining their health. The human body is made to perform movements, and these movements are important for all of us. Sitting all day can harm our health and decrease our life span. This is how it helps in improving the overall health of a person.
- Boost the brain
Foosball requires fast actions to tackle its opponent. It demands the right connection between the brain and the muscles. It is like football. It allows using your brain efficiently. This is why people say a healthy brain lives in a healthy body. Foosball helps in both.
- Affordable price
Various foosball tables can vary from cheap to a lot more expensive. An average person can find these tables on a budget though. There are many multi-gaming foosball tables that can be converted into various games so people have options to play. This solves the problem of needing a lot of space to play multiple games.
- Easy assembling
Foosball tables are easy to assemble. They deliver these in basic parts, and an average person can assemble it in very little time with very little effort.
- It is a game for all
Foosball is a game everyone from any age group can play. It is popular among everyone from children to adults. It also plays a major role in uniting the family by them all playing together on a foosball table and playing with each other. This is how it improves the overall family life.
History of foosball
Out of all the table games, Foosball is the most interesting one. Whether you call it foosball, table football, table soccer or baby kicker, tt is a popular game throughout all the world. Anyone can play it from any age group, be it a child or an adult. Everyone who has ever played, loves to play foosball. It is an on table sport in which they attach men like figures with some rods. These rods are used to hit the ball and manipulate it into the opponent’s goal. The person who scores the highest wins the game.
The game is simple and easy to play, but its history is confusing. Harold Searles Thornton registered the first patent in 1923 for a foosball table. That’s why the whole credit for foosball is given to Harold. Besides his patent though, we consider it existing from the 1800’s and it was gaining rapid popularity.
Conclusion
We can see that foosball is popular all over the world. Europe and the USA are the most popular places for foosball. The ITSF is a big promoter of foosball and has taken it to every corner of the world and made it a famous sport. If you are looking for a good foosball table at a good price, then this is the best place to get one.