If you think the regular old World Cup is the ultimate sporting showdown, wait until you get a load of this.
Introducing the Balloon World Cup – a tournament which incorporates everything you could ever want from a sports event but with added balloons.
Rather than having to kick a ball into a net, the aim of the game is similar to the one you'd play with your pals at birthday parties.
Players win a point if the balloon hits the ground before their opponent stops it – but they're only allowed to hit the inflatable in an upwards motion, meaning no slamming it to the ground to earn more points.
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They're also not permitted to obstruct their competitor's path to the balloon and can only use their hands.
Oh, and they can only touch the balloon once before their opponent touches it, so they can't just bogart the thing for the entire game.
Matches last two minutes a go, except for the final which goes on for a high-octane five minutes.
And rather than penalties, if the teams are tied once the time runs out, they go into overtime where they must use their head and feet instead of their hands to touch the balloon.
The setting is rather unusual - as opposed to a pitch, you've got a room filled with everything from furniture to vehicles.
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Despite the simple rules, the game delivers everything you could ever want from a spectator sport – competition, action, energy and thrills, with teams taking part from all over the world.
Who needs footy when you've got a group of grown men clambering over cars and under tables to tap a red inflatable? It truly is a sport the whole family can enjoy.
The Balloon World Cup was originally started by Spanish former football player Gerard Piqué and Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos.
Despite only being two years young, the tournament has garnered a cult following online, having held its first-ever edition last year at the PortAventura World resort in Spain.
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Although it was a bit of a lockdown trend, clearly there's something in it, as the games once again commenced this year at the same venue.
As opposed to Peru earning the title in 2021, the most recent contest saw Spain's Miguel Imbroda defeating Brazil's Claudio Lassance in the final.
Many people are only just hearing about the hilarious event after a clip of a match was shared on Twitter.
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As you can see in the footage above, the game is filled with just as much excitement as you'd get from football, only it's just a bit more silly.
The commentators clearly take their job very seriously, offering expert analysis as the players battle it out.
People have been absolutely loving it so far, with one writing online: "I've trained my whole life for the World Cup and didn't even know."
"Finally a sport I can get behind," said another, while a third quipped: "I've been doing this since childhood. I think i can dominate and become the next champion."
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It's nice to know there's a sport most of us could do well at - the same certainly can't be said for the World Excel Championship.
Featured Image Credit: Ibai/YouTubeTopics: Football, Sport, World News, Viral
