If you missed WCT7 Worlds, here’s what you need to know: Rooftop Kings, the first African team in WCT history, are your new World Champions.
And almost no one saw it coming.
Rewatch the Event
Before we dive in, here’s where you can relive the action:
The Venue, The Crowd, The Stakes
Les Arènes d’Évry-Courcouronnes hosted the event for the second year in a row. But this wasn’t just another World Championship. According to Loïc Ascarino, WCT’s head of sport, WCT7 achieved half the budget of the previous Worlds but pulled in three times the ticketing revenue and double the attendance. The biggest crowd in Chase Tag® history packed into the arena to witness 12 teams battle for the title.
Hollywood Does What Hollywood Does
Let’s start with what wasn’t surprising. Hollywood Freerunners cruised through their group and into the finals. The reigning champions looked every bit as dominant as expected, with a roster widely considered the most complete in the sport. No one was shocked to see them reach the final.
Rooftop Kings: From Zero Wins to World Champions
Rooftop Kings entered WCT7 with something to prove. At WCT6, they went out in the group stage without winning a single match. Not a great debut.
This year, they navigated a tough group that included Hollywood Freerunners (the favourites), Fakaw Paris, the home team playing in front of their own fans, Fata Morgana, Quality Movement and Nimbus. When the dust settled, Rooftop Kings and Fakaw Paris were tied on points. The tiebreaker came down to their head-to-head result, and Rooftop Kings had won that match. Fakaw Paris, despite a strong showing, went home early (Read more about Fakaw Paris & Rooftop Kings rivalry).
In the semi-finals, Rooftop Kings kept pushing winning against UGEN. And in the final, facing the defending champions, they did what no one expected.
Rooftop Kings 1-0 Hollywood Freerunners.
Morocco. Africa. World Champions.
It’s the first time a team from outside the UK, France, or the USA has lifted the trophy. The UK dominated the early years, winning WCT1, 2, and 3. France took WCT4. The USA claimed WCT5 and 6. Now the map expands. Rooftop Kings opened a door for an entire continent.
Two names deserve special attention.
Daan Van Dissel might be the story of the tournament. At WCT6, he was a teenager sitting in the stands, watching. This time, he was on the Quad™, delivering performances that put him in the conversation for Knight of Flight. From spectator to World Champion in the span of one cycle.
Redouan Yagoub is the architect. Team captain, manager, and player, Redouan built Rooftop Kings from the ground up. In two years, he assembled and developed one of the strongest rosters in the sport.
UGEN Makes History Too
Not all history involves trophies.
UGEN, the longest-standing team in WCT reached the semi-finals for the first time in their history. And they did it under the worst possible circumstances.
Luke Horner and Orlando Devaux were both injured. Mohamed Ayari was scheduled to play but never made it to the venue. UGEN was running on a depleted roster against the highest level of competition the sport has ever seen.
The team showed up anyway.
Haroon Hanafi, a player often joked about for his own injury history, delivered one of the strongest performances of the tournament. But it wasn’t just Haroon. Every player on UGEN’s roster pulled their weight, reminding everyone why they earned a wildcard invitation in the first place.
The Youth Are Coming
One more name worth remembering: Arsène Coupin.
Last year, Arsène led his under-16 team to victory in the Academy division. This year, having aged out of the youth category, he stepped up to Parkour59’s main professional roster.
Between Daan Van Dissel watching from the stands one year and competing the next, and Arsène graduating from Academy to the main event, the next generation is already here.