The International Floorball Federation (IFF) has approved the Czech Floorball Association’s bid to host the Men’s World Floorball Championships in 2028. After hosting the Women’s World Championships this December in Brno and Ostrava, the Czech Republic will once again welcome another major sporting celebration. The final decision about the host city of this prestigious tournament, which was last held in the Czech Republic ten years ago, is still under discussion. The main candidates are Brno and Prague.
– I am very pleased that the ‘eights’ will continue to belong to the Czech Republic and that, after ten years, we will once again host the men’s championship. Right now, we only know for sure that the World Championships will be held in 2028 in the Czech Republic. We are currently negotiating about two arenas – Prague’s O2 arena and the soon-to-be-completed new hall in Brno, both of which meet our requirements for hosting such a significant international event. These arenas align with our ambitions to attract crowds of more than ten thousand spectators, said the president of Czech Floorball Daniel Novák.
The World Championships should become a nationwide event that goes far beyond the boundaries of floorball. The president of Czech Floorball also hopes that the Czech tournament will follow up on the success of previous championships and even surpass the current record set in 2018.
– We want to organize the biggest and best floorball event in history, break the 250,000-spectator mark, and prove that floorball can stand alongside the biggest sporting events in the country. Apart from football and hockey, there are not many sports that can repeatedly draw crowds of over ten thousand people to arenas. The growing interest in major floorball events in our country is evident, for example, in the attendance of the Superfinal, which has sharply increased in recent years and gives us the right to set the bar very high from the start. The Men’s Championship in 2028 will also build on projects connected to the Women’s World Championship, aimed at getting the whole country more active and supporting youth recruitment into clubs, Novák added.
Floorball fans in the Czech Republic will therefore have the opportunity, after the upcoming Women’s World Championships in Brno and Ostrava, to experience another major event firsthand.
– We can say without exaggeration that as soon as one championship ends, we immediately start preparing for the next one. The World Championships in 2008 and 2018 were key milestones for us. This is evident not only in the still-valid attendance record but also in the many established connections and partnerships that helped push floorball forward. We believe we will find the right synergy between the two senior championships, strengthen existing partnerships, and attract new brands to the sport, said Roman Urbář, Marketing and Communications Director of Czech Floorball.
The World Championships will also bring numerous opportunities for the host city or cities. Fifteen international teams will participate, drawing fans from around the world to the Czech Republic, boosting tourism and cultural life. The championship will positively impact the Czech economy, GDP growth, and the international perception of the country.
– Floorball already has federations in more than 80 countries and is gradually securing its place outside of its traditional markets. World Championships are a key driver of its global growth. “I have been part of the organizing team for all three previous men’s championships in the Czech Republic, but this time will be my first as IFF President. I believe that, together with Czech Floorball, we will organize a world-class event that will also be a strong driver for international development. Besides the sporting spectacle, the World Championship will also include seminars, workshops, and internships that will give teams from less-developed floorball countries insights into the work of Czech Floorball, sharing know-how and showing the way forward to strengthen their position, said IFF President Filip Šuman.
The Czech national team will also aim to redeem itself after the disappointment of the last home World Championships, where it finished fourth. One of the players in that squad was Filip Langer, the youngest Czech national team player in history, who was not yet 17 at the time.
– There’s nothing bigger in floorball than playing a World Championship at home. I had the luck and privilege to play in one already, so I know how rare moment it is. Even though the championship in the Czech Republic is still three years away – and there is no guarantee I will be on the roster – the very possibility of fighting for a spot to play in front of our home fans already gives me huge motivation to keep working hard and improving continuously. It’s not just me – the other guys feel the same. If I get the chance to play at a home World Championship for the second time, the whole team and I will give everything to succeed and finally celebrate a medal on home soil. At the same time, we have the World Championship in Finland coming up next year, and that is where our full focus is right now, says forward playing at Storvreta IBK.
The Men’s World Championships will be held in the Czech Republic for the fourth time. The first edition was in 1998 in Prague and Brno, where Sweden claimed the title. In 2008, Finland won its first championship, with the tournament held in Ostrava and Prague. For the first time, attendance exceeded 100,000 spectators. The current record of 181,571 fans was set in 2018, when Finland triumphed again.
The Czech Republic is now preparing to host its second World Championships within just a few years. Final preparations are underway for the Women’s World Championships, which will take place in Brno and Ostrava in December, where the Czech team will defend its bronze medal from Singapore. In early September, the final wave of tickets was released, including new options for games of the Czech “Lionesses” and day tickets.