Rink hockey will truly never be the same after yesterday. France has broken the dominance of Spain, Portugal, and Argentina, as Italy last did in 1997. A new era is opening in every sense, although things had already begun to change in 2022, when France won its first historic bronze medal. The magnificent generation of the Di Benedetto brothers has reached the world crown, thanks to victory in the penalty shots against the outstanding Argentine side that dominates the European club championships. It was also a magnificent spectacle in the stands, with almost 2,000 people at the COP Arena for the final event of the World Skate Games Asuncion 2026. While fireworks lit up the night of the WSG closing ceremony, fireworks also rang out inside the Cop Arena during more than two hours of play. Mena opened the scoring with the first goal in the first half, before a shot from Bruno di Benedetto brought France level. France went ahead with a perfect direct shot from Carlo Di Benedetto, but with three minutes to go, a precise shot from Martinez made it 2–2. Extra time passed without goals, but in the penalty shots it was once again top player and top scorer Carlo di Benedetto (10 goals in overall) who made the difference, scoring twice against Martinez’s solitary goal for Argentina. France’s composure sealed the victory, earning the country a hugely important medal for its hockey community, which is steadily growing. Portugal took third place thanks to precise goals from Bessa and Alves (empty net), after a largely even match with a constant exchange of goals, until the Portuguese side’s composure tipped the final result in their favour.
The Intercontinental Championship Men’s final was also decided by a penalty shots. This time, Austria beat Colombia. The teams were level at 2–2 at the end of regulation time, then Austria scored one more penalty, through Laritz. Brazil finished third, beating Mexico 15–2 (with five goals from Victor Costa).
Final standings of World Championships of Rink Hockey: 1st France, 2nd Argentina, 3rd Portugal, 4th Spain, 5th Angola, 6th Chile, 7th Italy, 8th Switzerland, 9th Austria, 10th Colombia, 11th Brazil, 12th Mexico, 13th Australia, 14th South Africa
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEN - COP ARENA
Finals - 17-18 October 17/10 – 16:15 – Final 7th/8th place - Switzerland-Italy = 2-4 17/10 – 19:00 – Final 5th/6th place - Angola-Chile = 5-4 after penalty shots 18/10 – 16:15 – Final 3rd/4th place - Spain-Portugal = 3-5 18/10 – 19:00 – Final 1st/2nd place - Argentina-France = 3-4 after penalty shots
INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEN Semi-finals – 17 October – COP Arena 09.30 – Australia-South Africa = 9-2 11:45 – Colombia-Brazil = 1-0 14:00 – Austria-Mexico = 9-1 Finals - 18 October – COP Arena 10:00 – Brazil-Mexico = 15-2 12:45 – Colombia-Austria = 4-5 after penalty shots