Our Story

Find out about key events of our history.

The World Dodgeball Federation came together in the early days of the sport’s international development, as several key nations recognized the need for an overarching governance to develop and regulate the sport. In July of 2011, representatives from several countries agreed to form the World Dodgeball Federation. The development of the WDBF was led by a number of countries, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States. As time progressed, more countries joined. In 2025, the WDBF supports dodgeball in over 100 countries and in all 7 continents. 

2011
2011

The WDBF is formed.

Formed as a committee of federations, the WDBF drafted its first mandate July 20, 2011 and its first ruleset to regulate competition on August 10, 2011. The first WDBF headquarters were based out of Los Angeles.

2014
2014

The first world championships take place.

Formed as a committee of federations, the WDBF drafted its first mandate July 20, 2011 and its first ruleset to regulate competition on August 10, 2011. The first WDBF headquarters were based out of Los Angeles.

2016
2016

Setting the precedent for the future.

The fifth world championships is hosted in Melbourne, Australia, which set the standard for upcoming world championship hosts. At the fifth WDBF Summit, the (then current) members voted in favour to relocate the WDBF headquarters to Edmonton, Canada.

2017
2017

New members contribute to WDBF's growth.

With Canada hosting it’s first ever championships in Toronto, Canada, ten new member nations join the WDBF bringing the total to 17 total members. The new additions are Argentina, Brunei, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Costa Rica, Gabon, Haiti, Italy and Pakistan.

2018
2018

The WDBF membership more than doubles in size.

The WDBF membership grows from 17 to 34. The new member nations are Botswana, Colombia, Nepal, Trinidad & Tobago, Peru, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Chad, Kenya, Comoros, Brazil, Rwanda, Chile, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Burundi and Turkey.

The seventh world championships are hosted for the second time on United States soil in Los Angeles (previously Las Vegas.)

2019
2019

Europe (EDF) joins the WDBF. New additions bring total to 63 members.

The European Dodgeball Federation votes to join the WDBF in addition to a few other nations. The new members include Nicaragua, Uganda, Uruguay, Zambia, India, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, România, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Iran, Nigeria, American Samoa, Togo, Russia, Bangaldesh, Malta, and Sri Lanka.

The eighth world championships go tropical and are played out in Cancun, Mexico. The WDBF acquires TAFISA membership and dodgeball is set to be introduced at the World Sport for All Games in Lisbon, Portugal taking place in 2020.

2020
2020

2020

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2022
2022

2022

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2024
2024

2024

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