Who Invented FootGolf? A Short History From 2008 to Today
Published September 27, 2026
FootGolf was created in the Netherlands in 2008 by Bas Korsten and Michael Jansen. According to USA FootGolf's history, it was loosely based on a game Bas's brother, the professional soccer player Willem Korsten, played after training at Tottenham Hotspur. Here is how it went from that idea to a world championship.
Where the idea came from
USA FootGolf says the sport grew out of a post-training game Willem Korsten played during his time at Tottenham between 1999 and 2001. That was a casual game between teammates, not an organized sport, and USA FootGolf dates the sport itself to 2008.
2008: the sport is created
USA FootGolf credits Korsten and Jansen with creating the sport in 2008 and describes both as being from Nothing, a creativity agency, rather than from a sports body. The rules used in competition today are set by FIFG.
2009: the first official tournament
The first official tournament was the Dutch championship, the Nederlandse Kampioenschap FootGolf, played on September 6, 2009 at Golfbaan Het Rijk van Nijmegen. Theo Janssen won it.
2012: the first World Cup
The first FootGolf World Cup was held in Budapest, Hungary in 2012, and Bela Lengyel of Hungary won the men's individual title, according to FIFG's champions list. Editions since then have been played in 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2026; see our World Cup history for hosts and champions.
Where it stands now
FootGolf is now governed internationally by the Federation for International FootGolf (FIFG), whose rulebook is followed by national bodies such as the American FootGolf League. The 2026 World Cup in Acapulco, Mexico drew hundreds of players from more than 50 nations. Learn more about the AFGL or start with our guide to what FootGolf is.
A note on sources
The founding story above comes from USA FootGolf, which is an organizer's account rather than an independent history. We did not find a Dutch primary source for the 2008 origin, so treat the exact details as the sport's own account of itself.