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.

Revolutionizing Competitive Pinball: Virtual Pinball Tournaments Join the Global Stage!

This past Saturday and Sunday, the 9th annual IFPA European Pinball Championship was held at WCPP. A field of 64 based on the ECS standings traveled to Middelkerke, Belgium, to crown a new European Pinball Champion.

Congratulations to Timber Engelbeen of Nazareth, Belgium, our 2025 IFPA European Pinball Champion! Timber defeated on the way to his title Julian Falhof, Taco Wouters, Thomas Mästerman, two-times World Champion Johannes Ostermeier in the Semi-Finals and Paul Englert in the Finals.

Timber won a NIB pinball machine courtesy of Stern Pinball, as well as his 2nd (yet still unlistened) Picture Vinyl after being last year’s runner-up. Third placed Craig Pullen from Bristol, UK won the very last spot to compete at the IFPA20 World Pinball Championships to be held in Austria later this year.

Congrats to the top 4 finalists, who played amazingly well all weekend. Our gratitude goes out to all the competitors who came to support the event and make it a success.

Thanks as well to our generous host Kurt Louwie and his family at WCPP, to Jim and Dina Lindsey from JDL_Pinball for the exceptional stream, to the Techs Eric Houtteman and Evert Brochez and to all other little helpers!

We look forward to next year’s event! Location and date information to come.

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

February 2025

Player of the Month:
Escher Lefkoff from Australia for real now (487.52 WPPR’s – MAIN)
Alice Young from San Antonio, TX (205.28 WPPR’s – WOMEN’S)

Biggest Movers:
Tammy Cameron from Topeka, KS (+31,639 spots)
Chris Jones from Springfield, MO (+28,648 spots)
Nathan Webber from Wisconsin (+20,272 spots)

March 2025

Player of the Month:
Jason Zahler from New Jersey (336.15 WPPR’s – MAIN)
Keri Wing from St. Louis, MO (221.08 WPPR’s – WOMEN’S)

Biggest Movers:
Ashleyanne Krigbaum from Ontario, CA (+31,699 spots)
Seamus Fagan from Laconia, NH (+30,398 spots)
Van Pavao from North Stonington, CT (+29,892 spots)

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

THE BEAST returns July 31-Aug. 3 at Pocketeer Billiards in Buffalo, NY.  Now part of the 2025 Stern Pro Circuit!

Weekend passes for THE BEAST (Main, Classics, Women’s) are $99 and go on sale NOW at:
https://forms.gle/iuSAm9KaquyChyne7
Limited to the first 160 players.

More information will be posted on www.pinballprofile.com/thebeast, Facebook, and THE BEAST Discord

NEW in 2025!

– top 40 make playoffs (up from 24) in Main & Classics, and top 8 for B Division
– 2 Certified+ events!
– you can register for Women’s only (just $20 + entries), if you can’t do the whole weekend
– an hour of FREE practice time for ALL machines on Thurs., July 31 from 2-3pm.
– play in the new addition to Pocketeer Billiards…more machines, more fun!
– Crazy 8’s optional event returns Sunday, August 3rd from 11am-5pm

Follow along with the action for the 2024-25 IFPA European Pinball Championship where players will be battling for the last spot at the IFPA WC in Austria, the Title and a NIB Stern Pinball machine!

LIVE STREAM – Click HERE

RESULTS – Click HERE

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