Italy's team finished the European Championship in fourth place.

Fistball European Championship: Italy leaves without a medal

The European Fistball Championships in Tondern came to an end for the Italian national team with the bronze medal match against Switzerland. Despite taking an early set lead, the Squadra Azzurra ultimately lost 1-4, missing out on a medal.

August 16, 2026

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Italy got off to a better start in the final match of the tournament, winning the first set. However, Switzerland gradually found their rhythm and clearly benefited from their deeper roster. The Azzurri, unable to quite replicate their strong performance from the previous day, fought bravely but ultimately succumbed 1-4.

Assistant coach Jörg Ramel nevertheless drew a conciliatory conclusion: "The Swiss were simply better throughout the entire match today. Despite this, we can be satisfied with our performance today and throughout the tournament. As a young team, we have steadily improved. We are on the right track."

Philipp Spornberger was chosen as Man of the Match, and despite narrowly missing out on a medal, he summed up his performance with a fighting spirit: "We mobilized all our strength once again and desperately wanted the medal. Unfortunately, the Swiss had more stamina in the end."

Moritz Menz ends his national team career

After the final match of the tournament, Moritz Menz created an emotional moment: The attacker announced his retirement from the national team. "I played my first match for the men's national team at the 2016 European Championships in Grieskirchen and experienced unforgettable moments on and off the fistball field, forging friendships worldwide. After ten years, things have now come full circle here in Denmark," said Menz.

Moritz Menz has played his last international match. © Rouven Schönwandt

During his ten-year career with the national team, Menz played a total of 65 international matches. Among his greatest achievements was the historic fifth-place finish at the World Championships in Switzerland, which qualified the Squadra Azzurra for the World Games in the USA and China – a result they impressively confirmed there. At club level, Menz last won the Swiss championship in 2025 with FG Elgg-Ettenhausen.

Austria crowns itself European champion

Austria secured the title in the final, convincingly defeating defending champions Germany 4-0 in sets. The Austrians, who had already demonstrated their strength in the semi-final against Italy, thus confirmed their status as favorites and dethroned Germany as European champions.