In the history of competitive pinball, very few (35 in fact) have had the chance to call themselves a Major Champion. Like professional golf or tennis, the opportunity to join this elite club only happens a handful of times every year. The 2025 European Pinball Championship brought together two finalists looking to add their name to this list (Paul Englert and Bart Volman) and two finalists looking to add to their already established legacies (Johannes Ostermeier – 2-time Major Champion, Arvid Flygare – 1-time Major Champion).

In the Semifinals round Paul Englert defeated Bart Volman 4-2, while Johannes Osetermeier defeated Arvid Flygare 4-3. Paul then went on to sweep Johannes 4-0 in the Finals to capture his first Major Championship.

With his 2nd place finish, Johannes Ostermeier earned his 6th top 4 finish in Major Championships. 3rd/4th place went to Arvid Flygare who earned his 4th top 4 finish in Major Championships and Bart Volman who earned his 1st top 4 finish in Major Championships.

To view the most current list of Major Championship stats, click HERE.

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Photo credit: Gene X Hwang/Orange Photography

The IFPA Women’s Advisory Board is excited to announce that two new members have joined the board. Jackie Olson, from San Francisco, CA, and Crystal Cory, from Salt Lake City, UT, joined the IFPA as Directors and Board Members in February 2025 and immediately jumped in to support the 2025 IFPA Women’s Championship Weekend in Portsmouth, NH. Jackie is the founder of San Francisco’s Queer Pinball League, and Crystal runs the Wasatch Women’s Series and co-runs the Utah Ballers League.

The IFPA Women’s Advisory Board was founded in October 2019 with the goal of representing the needs and perspectives of women pinball players in IFPA initiatives. The Board currently includes founding members Karyn Kiser, Kim Martinez, and Zoe Vrabel, as well as Samantha Bacon, who joined in November 2023. Questions and feedback for the Board can be sent to ifpawomen@gmail.com.

The IFPA is excited to announce that Stern has added D&D Pro, D&D Premium and Metallica Remastered Premium to the rewards program!

Detailed rules for the Stern Rewards Program, including an updated list of qualifiers and updated list of rewards available can be found HERE.

Here are the April 2025 IFPA winners for Player of the Month and Biggest Movers:

Player of the Month:
Carlos Delaserda from Columbus, OH (427.28 WPPR’s – MAIN)
Leslie Ruckman from Seattle, WA (87.38 WPPR’s – WOMEN’S)

Biggest Movers:
Steve Toisul from Luxembourg (+43,753 spots)
Croquin Benoit from France (+26,328 spots)
Tyler Lorenzen from the United States (+25,627 spots)

These players have now all qualified for the Stern Rewards Program for 2025. Congrats to everyone!

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The IFPA is excited to announce that the dates have been set for the 10th annual IFPA European Pinball Championship and the very 1st IFPA Women’s European Pinball Championship. IFPA EPC and IFPA WEPC will be held April 10-12, 2026.

Our host will be Lund Pinball Academy in Lund, Sweden.

ECS: more informations, the current standings and the schedule HERE.

WECS: more informations and the current standings HERE.

Team Europe currently holds the Epstein Cup for another 2 months before it is once again up for grabs at IFPA20 in Austria on Thursday night June 26th, 2025.

8 players per side earn the right to represent their country in this prestigious event, so let’s take a closer look at the rosters for both sides.

Team USA includes:

• 2-time Major Champion Jason Zahler from New Jersey
• 3-time Major Champion Zach McCarthy from Conifer, CO
• 1-time Major Finalist Luke Nahorniak from Lonsdale, MN
• 2-time Major Champion Eric Stone from Fort Myers, FL
• World Ranked #16 Gregory Kennedy from Plain City, OH
• 6-time Major Finalist Josh Sharpe from Arlington Heights, IL
• 2-time Major Champion Cayle George from Seattle, WA
• World Ranked #14 Derek Thomson Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

The 8 members of Team USA 2025 have accounted for 9 Major Championships along with 32 Major Championship Top 4’s.

Team Europe includes:

• 1-time Major Champion Arvid Flygare from Lund, Sweden
• 3-time Major Finalist Viggo Löwgren from Furulund, Sweden
• 4-time Major Champion Daniele Celestino Acciari from Rocca di Papa, Italy
• 1-time Major Finalist Paul Englert from Aachen, Germany
• World Ranked #9 Timber Engelbeen from Nazareth, Belgium
• 2-time Major Champion Johannes Ostermeier from Munich, Germany
• 3-time Major Finalist Julio Vicario Soriano from Valencia, Spain
• 2-time Major Finalist Peter Andersen from Copenhagen, Denmark

The 8 members of Team Europe 2025 have accounted for 7 Major Championships won along with 17 Major Championship Top 4’s.

For more details on the event, click HERE.