UWH
2025 CMAS Intercontinental Championship (Europe/Africa)
A review of the first edition of the Europe/Africa Zone Championships.
The Intercontinental Championship, a qualifying tournament for the Elite and Masters World Championships scheduled to take place in France in 2027, brought together 13 teams for its Europe/Africa edition in Dordrecht, Netherlands, from August 18 to 23.
France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, and the USA (having been integrated into the Europe/Africa group following the cancellation of the American continental championship for health reasons).
The stated objectives were to balance the world championships and offer developing nations the opportunity to participate in Type A tournaments. However, this initiative lasted only one edition before returning to the usual format: a world championship every two years, rather than every four years as CMAS had initially wanted to establish.
It should be noted that initially, of the 13 nations registered (Men’s/Women’s Elite), only the top six were to qualify for the next world championships. But with the addition of the USA, seven nations were ultimately able to hope to secure their ticket to the 2027 World Championships.
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Day 1
At the end of the first day of round robins, three teams had made a perfect start in the men’s elite competition with 100% wins. The hosts, the Netherlands, had two wins with six goals, followed by Italy and Hungary, also with two wins. Turkey narrowly missed out on the same result. France came back to 3-3 after trailing 3-0 in the first period. The two nations finished with a draw and a win. For others, the competition got off to a bad start, with two losses at the outset (Ireland and Portugal).
In the women’s competition, France, Turkey, Belgium, and the Netherlands won by at least six goals. The Americans and Germans suffered consecutive defeats.
In the men’s masters, the French got off to a good start, ending their first day with two wins against Great Britain and the Netherlands.
(Crédit CMAS)
Day 2
The second day was much like the first for the men’s elite teams. The Netherlands had another flawless performance. Turkey beat Spain and South Africa. Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, and Portugal finally got on the scoreboard with a win.
In the women’s elite competition, three teams remained undefeated: the USA beat France (4-2), South Africa dominated Spain (8-3) and, finally, Turkey got the better of Poland (5-0).
In the men’s masters, South Africa and the Netherlands ended the day with one win and one draw against Great Britain. The French, meanwhile, suffered two defeats.
(Crédit CMAS)
Day 3
Day 3 smiled on the French, who beat Great Britain 5-2. The British had gone through a rough patch with two heavy defeats: 6-2 against South Africa and then against Les Bleus. South Africa secured a second victory against the hosts, 2-1.
The Netherlands continued to dominate the men’s elite with two big wins, 11-0 against Ireland and 6-1 against Germany. France, Portugal, and Italy also finished with two wins. Germany, Poland, Spain, and Ireland suffered two defeats.
In the women’s competition, Great Britain and Turkey had two wins each. France and South Africa won their only matches of the day. The Americans suffered two defeats, both by at least three goals
(Crédit CMAS)
Day 4
Quarterfinals for the men’s and women’s elite teams. There was no room for error. The British crushed Poland 18-0. France beat the Netherlands 8-1. South Africa and Spain emerged victorious from their matches against Turkey and the USA (3-2).
In the men’s competition, France and Great Britain had eliminated Hungary and the USA. Turkey had beaten the Netherlands 5-3. South Africa had eliminated Spain 3-2.
(Crédit CMAS)
Day 5
In the women’s masters, France got off to a good start against the USA. But Les Bleues then suffered a heavy 7-0 defeat against Great Britain. They bounced back with a resounding 11-1 victory over the Americans. Great Britain completed the double by also beating the USA.
In the men’s masters, South Africa beat Great Britain by one goal. This was followed by a long match between France and the Netherlands. In a gladiatorial battle, the two teams traded blows until sudden death, with the Dutch finally winning 5-4 after an hour and a quarter of play.
Immediately afterwards, the first women’s elite semifinal began. Great Britain defeated Spain to become the first team to qualify for the women’s elite final. South Africa also reached the final after beating France 4-2.
In the men’s elite competition, Great Britain eliminated France 3-1. Turkey defeated South Africa to reach the final.
(Crédit CMAS)
Day 6
Saturday, August 23, the last day of competition. Time for the finals.
Our French elite women, men, and masters men all won their ranking matches and took third place on the podium.
In the men’s masters, the Netherlands beat South Africa 4-2 and won at home. In the women’s masters, the final was between France and Great Britain. France caught up, pushing Great Britain into extra time. After holding on to a 2-2 draw for the entire match, the French women lost 5-2 to the British.
In the women’s elite category, Great Britain finished on top, defeating South Africa. In the men’s category, Turkey took home the gold medal by eliminating Great Britain.
(Crédit CMAS)