New Zealand will compete at the Sixth Asian Cup of Subbuteo Table Football in Sydney over the weekend of October 17–19, 2025.
The tournament will be hosted at Ultra Football in Alexandria, bringing together up to 60 players from Asia and Oceania under the Confederation of Asian Sports Table Football Associations (CASTFA).
New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other regional federations will join host nation Australia.
The New Zealand contingent includes Richard Edeson, Conrad Mudge, Andrew Miller, Nick McNeil and Ian Sansom.
New Zealand’s participation follows its admission as a provisional member of the Federation of International Sports Table Football (FISTF) in July 2024.
The New Zealand Subbuteo Association (NZSA) has established player hubs in Palmerston North and Auckland, with plans to form local leagues in 2025.
NZSA chairman Edeson said the Sydney tournament would give New Zealand an opportunity to establish itself within the sport’s continental network.
He has represented New Zealand at major Australian events, including the 2023 Grand Prix in Melbourne and the 2024 Grand Prix in Sydney.
Association secretary Mudge said the event would help New Zealand players gain valuable international experience and encourage further domestic growth.
Table football has been popular since the 1940s.
The Sydney competition will include Open, Women’s, and Junior’s individual tournaments, as well as club and national team events.
Edeson said participation would also help the NZSA attract new players, strengthen local competition, and build a pathway for future tournaments.
The association hopes to stage FISTF-sanctioned events in New Zealand during the 2024–25 season.
If CASTFA ratifies New Zealand’s membership before the tournament, Sydney will mark the nation’s first official appearance at a continental Subbuteo championship.
Subbuteo, invented in England after World War II, is recognised as one of the earliest forms of “fantasy football”, and is a combination of skill, speed and tactics on a dining table-sized board.
It has developed its own global following, with thousands of registered players across Asia and more than 1,000 in Australia.
Australian association president Eliot Kennedy said the Asian Cup event would showcase the game’s mix of skill, tactics and community spirit.
“Subbuteo has a long tradition of bringing football fans together. Hosting the Asian Cup in Sydney is a chance to highlight the game’s competitive side while opening the doors for families, schools and young players to get involved.”
This story was first published on October 16, 2025.