Date: November 18 & 19, 2023
Place: Torremolinos, Spain
For the
first 14 years of the World Cup, Rodolfo Martin was the only
Spanish player who competed. Even when a couple of more
compatriots of his, namely Jaume and Luis, started joining,
the idea of a World Cup on Spanish soil remained a distant
dream. All that changed after the arrival of two men from
Malaga, Samu Gomez and Fran Sendra. The peninsula now
finally had enough manpower and equipment to host the event,
and that's the story of how the KOA visited the sandy
beaches of Torremolinos.
34 players
from 10 countries competed in a World Cup that featured no
less than 5 newcomers, a feat made possible thanks to the
increasing popularity of online Kick Off. Although the draw
was made with a deck of cards, nobody dared to gamble on a
prediction of the winner. In the end, it was Thor Skaug who
won his 3rd title, once more proving himself invincible in
finals. A final in which Gianni Torchio was again present,
after defeating Fabio Fichera in the semis who had to settle
for the bronze medal and his third top scorer trophy. The
best defense trophy went to a newcomer for the second year
in a row, this time the Belgian Frederic Giuliano,
while Robert Swift gave England their third Silver Cup. The
Shirt of Shame graced the shoulders of World Cup newbie but
KOA veteran David Cornejo. Finally, the KOA honoured Oliver
Stender with the Lifetime Achievement
Award.
Note: 34 players were divided
into two groups of 9 and two groups of 8. The top four players from each group
qualified to the World Cup Groups, while the rest would compete in the Silver
Cup.
Goals in the finals (Click to enlarge):