Leitz has a new world champion!

On 17 June, 22 football teams from all over the world played for the Leitz World Cup trophy. Five years after the last international mini-pitch tournament of the tool manufacturer with headquarters in Oberkochen, more than 500 participants and fans gathered at the sports ground of SV Waldhausen to celebrate a football festival together. After many exciting games, characterized by team spirit, fairness and commitment – but never without the high fun factor – the team from Italy deservedly won the coveted winner’s trophy.

Bright sunshine, good-humoured fans and optimal pitch conditions – the prerequisites for a successful tournament were excellent. International Leitz Football Championships have always been popular events that not only bring the players within the individual teams closer together, but also ensure new friendships beyond national borders. For many employees, these tournaments are joyful meetings with old friends or also a chance to get to know colleagues in person with whom they are otherwise only in contact by phone and e-mail. In this way, Leitz, as a world market leader, not only increases international cooperation, but also offers an extraordinary leisure programme that connects people from a wide range of cultures and countries of origin.  

The tournament was initially played in four groups, which were drawn on the eve of the tournament during the welcome party. The Italian team quickly proved to be the top favourite, not allowing a single goal in regulation time throughout the day. On their way to winning the tournament, the "Squadra Azzurra" eliminated the defending champions from Austria, the local heroes from Oberkochen and, in the final, the mixed team with players from Turkey, Brazil and Canada.

The enthusiasm was clearly noticeable among the participants as well as the spectators. Especially the fans from Romania turned the sports field in Waldhausen into a small witch's cauldron with trumpets and singing and thus pushed their team up to 4th place. The team from the Leitz Baltic subsidiary, which was founded in 2022, was named the fairest team. Although they were unable to score a goal of their own, they were particularly positive in their support of the other teams. Lamine Ngaidio from the mixed team Switzerland/Troisdorf/Bielefeld, who was voted the best player of the tournament, provided many highlights - and many "aaah" and "oooh" on the court.

A big thank you is due to the many helping hands and supporters who actively and with much commitment contributed to the success of this football festival. First and foremost, SV Waldhausen, which not only made its sports field available, but also provided excellent catering during the tournament. At the welcome party with group draw on Friday and the tournament party with award ceremony on Saturday, the HSG  Oberkochen/Königsbronn, the FC Bayern Fanclub Ebnat-Süd and the Leitz apprentices provided the guests with food and drinks.  Jürgen Köppel, Spokesman of the Management Board, said enthusiastically: "For the Leitz World Cup 2023, the Leitz family met here in Oberkochen and celebrated a super football festival. The world was a guest at the group headquarters and we were able to celebrate our global solidarity with this sporting event under the best possible conditions. Many thanks to all the helping hands who also invested many hours of their free time in the success of the Leitz World Cup. My special thanks also go to our shareholder, Dr. Cornelia Brucklacher, who enthusiastically supported the Leitz World Cup 2023 and proved to be the right person to draw the teams.”