Have you heard of Teqball? It's a new sport created a few years ago in Hungary that combines soccer and table tennis and is played on a curved table. 

It sounds crazy, but in countries like the United States, it’s gaining momentum, with a thousand professional players and 500,000 amateurs, and its promoters have already begun the long process of have it included among the Olympic sports. In Chile, at any rate, the sport is officially recognized and has a federation (see here) that is actively campaigning to recruit players.

What is Teqball? It is played on a curved table measuring 3 by 1.7 meters, with its highest point (76 centimeters) in the center of the table. A standard No. 5 soccer ball is used, but with lower air pressure. Players—two in singles and four in doubles—can touch the ball with any part of their body except their arms and hands, just like in soccer. The sport was officially unveiled in Budapest in late 2016 by former Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho.

The rise of Teqball—in 2020, the International Teqball Federation was admitted to the Global Association of International Sports Federations—reflects social media’s ability to popularize ideas that might initially be niche. The beauty of Teqball is that it has caught the attention of global soccer stars. Want to see Lionel Messi playing Teqball?