Editing United Paintball Federation (section)

== History ==

=== Origins and formation ===

By the early 2000s, competitive paintball had developed several major international tournament circuits. These included the [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) and [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP) in the United States, the [[Millennium Series]] in Europe, and emerging regional competitions in Asia and South America.

Although international teams regularly participated in tournaments outside their home countries, competition rules, player identification systems and organisational arrangements varied between tournament circuits.

The United Paintball Federation developed as an initiative to establish greater cooperation between paintball organisations operating in different parts of the world.

A 2006 article published by WARPIG reported that the UPBF had been formed in 2005 through the unification of paintball organisations from different countries. Its stated objectives included promoting the sport internationally, developing common rules and maintaining the integrity of competitions. [2]

On 4 January 2006, the Paintball Asia League Series published an announcement confirming its participation in the UPBF. The announcement described the federation as an international umbrella organisation bringing together national federations and tournament series. [1]

Among its proposed activities were the development of common competition rules, referee standards, player identification systems and international organisational structures.

The UPBF also sought to represent competitive paintball in discussions with sporting authorities and to support greater formal recognition of the sport.

=== Early international structure ===

The UPBF's January 2006 announcement described five continental confederations intended to represent paintball organisations around the world. [1]

These were:

* '''American Paintball Federation (APBF):''' North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
* '''European Paintball Federation (EPBF):''' European national organisations and tournament circuits.
* '''Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF):''' Asia and the Pacific, including the Paintball Asia League Series.
* '''South American Paintball Federation (SAPBF):''' South American paintball organisations and competitions.
* '''African Paintball Federation (AFPBF):''' African paintball organisations.

The announcement associated these regional structures with existing competitions, including PSP in North America, the Millennium Series in Europe, PALS in Asia and the [[Circuito Sudamericano de Paintball]] (CSP) in South America.

The early UPBF model incorporated both national associations and established tournament circuits. Its proposed organisational structure included an executive committee, regional representation and specialised committees covering competition rules, refereeing, development, disciplinary matters and international events. [1]

These early arrangements reflected the federation's origins within the international tournament paintball community.

=== Development of national-team championships ===

The UPBF subsequently developed international championships contested by national representative teams rather than privately organised club or professional teams.

The first championship in the organisation's current World Championship historical record took place in 2013. Since then, the competition has expanded into multiple categories covering different ages and divisions. [3]

The distinction between the organisation's formation and its World Championship history is important. Contemporary evidence establishes that the UPBF existed before 2013, although its current website identifies that year as the federation's foundation date. The reason for this difference has not been conclusively established.

=== Expansion during the 2010s ===

International national-team competition developed substantially during the 2010s, with additional opportunities for youth, women's and veteran players.

By 2019, the UPBF World Championship programme included Men's, Veterans, Under-19, Under-16 and women's competitions in both three-player and five-player formats.

In 2019, most championship categories competed in the Netherlands, while the Men's championship took place separately in Prague, Czech Republic. The Netherlands event included Veterans, Women's, Under-19 and Under-16 competitions. [4]

The UPBF records 26 participating nations in 2019, its highest annual national participation figure as of 2026. [3]

=== Developments during the 2020s ===

The UPBF continued organising national-team championships and supporting national federation development during the 2020s.

The 2025 UPBF Paintball World Championship took place at ACE Paintball in Dreux, France, on 27 and 28 August. It brought together 21 countries competing across five categories. France won the Men's and Veterans championships, while the United States won the Women's, Under-19 and Under-16 titles. [5]

The 2026 World Championship returned to Dreux on 2 and 3 September, alongside the NXL European Championship. Twenty-five nations participated across five categories, including four countries making their championship debuts: Colombia, Denmark, Kuwait and Malta.

Poland won its first Men's World Championship title, defeating the United States in the final. The United States won the other four categories: Veterans, Women, Under-19 and Under-16. [6]