The 11th Men´s World Floorball Championships (WFC) Final Round is played in Riga, Latvia on December 3rd - 11th 2016.
A total of 34 teams played in the WFC Qualifications to decide the 15 teams to qualify to the Event. Latvia, as the organiser, was automatically qualified. The WFC is played with 16 teams.
The two best teams of group A and B go directly to the quarter-final. Teams placed 3rd and 4th in group A and B and the teams placed 1st and 2nd in group C and D make it to the first playoff round (played before the quarter-finals).
More information on the tournament format can be found here: http://iffwfc.org/pages/EN/Tournament
All four Men´s World Floorball Championships 2016 groups will be presented on the IFF website and now it’s time for Group C. Slovakia, Denmark, Poland and Australia are playing in the Group C.
SLOVAKIATeam Slovakia’s current ranking is 9. This WFC they have a young, talented team that wants to entertain the audience with their playing style. Slovakia’s aim is to make it to the quarterfinals.
Players to watch:
Michal Dudovič: One of the biggest young talents in Slovakia. He has a hard shot and good passes.
Lukáš Řezanina: The most experienced player in the team who has been the first Slovak player in Sweden. Lukas is the heart of the team.
Václav Komačka: Very clever player who holds the team together. Vaclav, with experience from Czech league, is the tallest player in the team with a great shot.
#2 M. Dudovic |
#19 L. Rezanina |
#97 V. Komacka |
DENMARKThe Danish team at WFC 2016 is a mix of WFC 2014 players and young players with experience from U19 national team. Even though Denmark’s ranking is 12, in WFC 2014 the team placed 7th. Their main goal is a spot in the play-offs and to put up a fight against the teams they will meet there.
Players to watch:
Mike Trolle Wede: Experienced goalkeeper who was chosen to the All Stars Team in WFC 2014. A key player in the team and also a charismatic figure which delivers morale to the rest of the team during matches.
Brian Nielsen: Team captain who is an experienced leader and played his first WFC in 2006 in Sweden. Nielsen showed his coolness in penalty shots against Germany in WFC 2014.
Stefan Hedorf: Hedorf made his debut in the international scene back in WFC 2004 still being a youth player. He has experience from playing in Sweden and he was the top scorer in WFC 2014.
#1 M. Trolle Wede | #15 B. Nielsen | #5 S. Hedorf |
POLANDTeam Poland (ranked 14th) is returning to the Men’s WFC. Last time they were in the final round in 2012 and placed 11th. The rejuvenated team’s goal is to fight for the 5th place.
Players to watch:
Mateusz Antoniak: Experienced player who is one of the best forwards in the Polish League.
Maciej Bogdański: One of the best goalkeepers playing in the Polish League.
Wojciech Malajka: Young, promising forward, who plays for Czech league team FBC Ostrava this season.
#15 M. Antoniak | #74 M. Bogdanski | #10 W. Malajka |
AUSTRALIAThe 2016 Australian Men’s Floorball team has a nice mix of experience and youth. There are players competing in their 3rd or 4th tournament while there are also a number of fresh faces to the WFC tournament. The teams results at the AOFC earlier in the year show once again their ability to overcome geographical distance to compete on the world stage. After overcoming Russia in their first pool game in 2014 the team is aiming to build on this at WFC 2016 and push for progression out of the group stages.
Players to watch:
Daniel Gartner: Daniel has been a key member in the Australian U19 side however a great performance at club level saw him make his debut for the men’s side at AOFC and he took the opportunity with both hands. His ability to read the game and set up in attack will make him a favourite with the fans in Latvia.
Tomas Gartner: Like twin brother Daniel, Tomas has also been integral in the U19 campaign. After showing a glimpse of his talents at AOFC expect to see Tomas put his excellent shooting and dribbling skills to good use to create plays that will be a highlight of the tournament.
Jonathan Veron: One of the most experienced players in the national side Jonathan is Australian Floorball’s very own Benjamin Button. With each passing year he continues to progress his game to the next level and this sees him among the leading goal scorers at all national tournaments. With explosive speed and tenacious attack he will have spectators on the edge of their seats each time he takes the court.
#7 D. Gartner | #4 T. Gartner | #3 J. Veron |
All info used in the Team Presentations is sent to the IFF by the national teams.
Australia edges Singapore – 9.12.2016
Hofbauer becomes All Time Scoring Leader – 9.12.2016
Sweden undoubtedly to semi-finals – 8.12.2016
Czech Republic goes through to the semi-finals – 8.12.2016
Changes in WFC 2016 Match Schedule – 8.12.2016
Latvians finally earn their first tournament victory – 8.12.2016
Slovakia breaks USA – 8.12.2016
Denmark qualifies for quarterfinals in shoot-out drama – 7.12.2016
Norway ruins Slovakian dream of quarterfinals – 7.12.2016
Poland tears Singapore apart – 7.12.2016
Estonia gets through with a huge win – 7.12.2016
Thailand overcomes Australia in a tough battle – 7.12.2016
Germany beats USA in play-off drama – 7.12.2016
Latvia ties Norway in impressive showdown – 6.12.2016
Swedes hold on to their lead to secure a victory in group B – 6.12.2016
Poland and Australia finishes group stage with a draw – 6.12.2016
Switzerland tears apart Germany and goes through to the playoffs – 6.12.2016
Singapore starts strong and defeats USA – 6.12.2016
Denmark beats Slovakia in a group C leader battle. – 6.12.2016
Sweden tops Norway in Scandinavian rivalry – 5.12.2016