South Africa's Men's team returned to the UPBF Paintball World Championship in 2025, the first time the country had entered since 2019, and finished 14th of 18 teams in Dreux, France.
The event
The championship was played on 27 and 28 August 2025, a Wednesday and Thursday, with the opening ceremony and preliminary games on the Wednesday. South Africa entered one category, Men, and was one of 18 teams in it. The UPBF results certificate for the event confirms a placing of 14th of 18.
After six years away from the world stage, the national Men's team walked out behind the South African flag at the opening ceremony, and the team and staff lined up for the photographs that follow.
Watch
South Africa played its games on day 1, the Wednesday, and did not play on the Thursday. The opening ceremony and day 1 games were streamed live on YouTube, as was day 2, for anyone who wants to follow the rest of the championship:
What came next
A year later, at the 2026 championship, the Men climbed five places to 9th: see South Africa's Men finish 9th at the 2026 UPBF World Championship. The full record, from 2013 to 2026, is on the results page.
The photos
The photos below were taken at the championship by Facefull and its collaborators, Quentin Sirantoine (QSi) and Véronique Brissat (VBS), and are used with credit as the photographers ask.
