Quimcy Dsouza: Ex-Footballer Chasing Asian Games Teqball Glory

Quimcy Dsouza has taken one of the most unusual routes to the Asian Games. The 24-year-old Indian athlete was once a middle-distance runner and later represented Maharashtra in football

Today she is one of India’s leading teqball players and is on the verge of creating history at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Teqball is still a relatively unfamiliar sport to many Indian sports fans. It combines football skills with the movement and structure of table tennis.

Players use a curved table and a football while relying on their feet, knees, chest, shoulders and head instead of their hands.

She then defeated Cambodia’s Koemyean Dy to reach the semifinal. She eventually lost 1-2 to Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya in the semifinal on September 19.

However, her Asian Games campaign is not over. Dsouza is set to play Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in the women’s singles bronze medal match.

A victory would give India its first Asian Games medal in teqball.

Her journey from athletics to football and finally to teqball makes Quimcy Dsouza one of the more interesting new names in Indian sport.

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Who Is Quimcy Dsouza?

Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza is an Indian teqball player and former footballer from Mumbai.¹

She is 24 years old and has represented Maharashtra in athletics and football before building her career in teqball.

According to the International Teqball Federation’s player profile, Dsouza was born on December 19, 2001. She is listed at 170 cm and 50 kg and is right-footed.

Her FITEQ profile lists her at No. 24 in the world singles ranking. Before discovering teqball, Dsouza competed in middle-distance running.

She represented Maharashtra in events including the 1,500 metres and 3,000 metres. She later moved into football and represented the state at Under-19 level.

Football eventually became an important part of her sporting identity. But an injury changed the direction of her career.

While recovering from a ligament injury, Dsouza came across a video of Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho playing teqball. The sport immediately caught her attention.

She decided to try it and soon found a sport that matched her football background while also demanding a completely different type of technique. The transformation was rapid.

She became a seven-time national champion and reached a career-high world ranking of 24. She also became the first Indian woman to represent the country internationally in teqball, according to recent profiles of her career.

What Is Teqball?

Teqball is a football-based sport played on a specially designed curved table.

It combines elements of football and table tennis. Players cannot use their hands to control the ball. Instead they use parts of the body such as the feet, thighs, chest, shoulders and head.

One of the distinctive features of teqball is that players cannot use the same body part consecutively. The ball is played over a rigid net placed across the curved table.

The curved surface changes the way the ball bounces and requires players to develop precise control. Matches are generally played in sets and the sport has singles, doubles and mixed doubles formats.

The sport was developed in Hungary and has expanded internationally over the past decade. It has also attracted attention because football stars have helped introduce it to wider audiences.

Teqball is making its Asian Games debut at Nagoya in 2026. India’s contingent includes Quimcy Dsouza, Mohamed Anas Imran Beg and Declan Marshall Gonsalves.

A strong comeback by Indian debutant Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza as she defeated Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto 2–1 in the Women’s Singles Group A – Match 2.

Game 1: 10–12
Game 2: 12–11
Game 3: 13–11

Quimcy fight back after losing the opening game and secure a hard-fought victory.

🇮🇳 All… pic.twitter.com/FnxaNiuJzr

— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 18, 2026

Stats Table

From Athletics to Football

Quimcy Dsouza’s sporting journey did not begin with teqball.²

As a teenager she was involved in athletics. She competed in middle-distance running and represented Maharashtra in the 1,500m and 3,000m events.

Her experience as a runner gave her a strong physical base. Middle-distance running requires endurance, discipline and the ability to perform under pressure.

Football later became another major part of her sporting life. Dsouza represented Maharashtra at Under-19 level.

Football also gave her experience with ball control and movement. Those skills would eventually become useful when she discovered teqball.

Her journey is unusual because she did not simply move from one sport to another as part of a carefully planned career.

Instead, circumstances pushed her toward different sports until she found one that brought many of her existing abilities together.

The Olympic Council of Asia has described Dsouza as an athlete with experience across different sports who eventually found that teqball suited her combination of skills.

How Did Quimcy Dsouza Discover Teqball?

The story of how Dsouza found teqball is closely connected with Ronaldinho. While recovering from a ligament injury, she saw the Brazilian football great playing teqball in an Instagram video.

Ronaldinho’s connection with the sport helped spark her curiosity. Dsouza decided to try it herself.

What started as curiosity quickly turned into a serious sporting career. She began playing teqball in Mumbai in 2022.

At that point the sport was still largely unknown in India. There were few established pathways for athletes who wanted to make teqball their profession.

Dsouza and other early players had to help create that pathway themselves. Her introduction to teqball was therefore not simply about becoming a player. It also became part of a larger effort to establish the sport in India.

Quimcy Dsouza’s Rise as a Teqball Player

Dsouza’s rise in teqball has been remarkably quick. She began playing in 2022.

Within a few years she had become a national champion and an established international competitor. She is now a seven-time national champion and has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 24.

She also finished ninth at the 2025 Teqball World Championships in Romania according to recent reports. Her progress is particularly notable because she has not followed the traditional path of a full-time professional athlete with a large support structure.

Recent reports say she works as a test engineer at Decathlon in Bengaluru while continuing her sporting career. She has also founded the Teqball Club of Bangalore and has been involved in promoting the sport at the grassroots level.

That makes her role bigger than simply competing in tournaments. She has become part of the effort to build a teqball community in India.

Quimcy Dsouza and the Teqball Club of Bangalore

After moving to Bengaluru, Dsouza became involved in developing teqball in the city. She founded the Teqball Club of Bangalore and has worked to introduce the sport to younger players.

Her involvement has included promoting teqball in schools and helping create opportunities for new athletes. This grassroots work is important because teqball remains a relatively young sport in India.

The New Indian Express reported before the Asian Games that India’s teqball players have had to balance their professional careers with training and efforts to build a community around the sport.

Dsouza was identified as a test engineer at Decathlon who had been working and training alongside her sporting career.

Her story therefore reflects a broader reality for athletes in emerging sports. Reaching an international level can require athletes to combine employment, training and competition.

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Quimcy Dsouza at the 2026 Asian Games

The 2026 Asian Games have become the biggest stage of Dsouza’s career.³

Teqball is making its Asian Games debut in Nagoya. That alone makes the competition historic for the sport.

India entered the event with a three-member teqball contingent. Dsouza is competing in women’s singles and mixed doubles.

Her women’s singles campaign began with a difficult match against Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto. Sakamoto was ranked No. 7 in the world and was also the home player.

Dsouza lost the opening game 10-12 but fought back to win the next two games 12-11 and 13-11. The match lasted 43 minutes and became one of the major moments of her Asian Games debut.

She followed that performance with a 2-0 victory over Cambodia’s Koemyean Dy. Dsouza won the games 12-9 and 12-7. Those results took her into the women’s singles semifinal.

Quimcy Dsouza Loses Asian Games Semifinal

On September 19, Dsouza faced Indonesia’s Ima Sumaya in the women’s singles semifinal.

The Indian started strongly but eventually lost the match 1-2. The game scores were 12-7, 9-12 and 7-12.

The defeat ended her chance of reaching the final but did not end her medal hopes. She will now face Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in the bronze medal match.

That creates an interesting situation because Dsouza already defeated Sakamoto in their first meeting at these Games.

The bronze-medal match gives Dsouza another opportunity to make history. A win would secure India’s first Asian Games medal in teqball.

Why Is Quimcy Dsouza’s Asian Games Journey Historic?

There are several reasons why Dsouza’s campaign has attracted attention.

First, teqball itself is making its Asian Games debut. Second, Dsouza is competing at the highest level only four years after discovering the sport.

Third, a medal would represent India’s first Asian Games podium finish in teqball.

Her journey also highlights how athletes from less-established sports can reach major international competitions through unconventional routes.

Unlike sports with long-established professional structures in India, teqball is still developing its player base and infrastructure.

The Indian Express reported that the sport has been growing in India since around 2019, although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its development.

The sport now has a growing group of registered players and has reached the Asian Games stage.

Dsouza is therefore competing for an individual medal while also representing a young sport trying to establish itself in the country.

Quimcy Dsouza’s Football Background Helps in Teqball

Football remains an important part of Dsouza’s story because many of the skills required in teqball are closely connected to football.

Players need excellent ball control. They need to judge movement quickly and react to changes in the ball’s direction.

They also have to use their feet, knees, chest and head instead of their hands. That gives footballers a natural foundation.

Dsouza herself has spoken about the advantage her football background provides because she was already comfortable controlling a ball with her feet.

However, teqball is not simply football played on a table. The curved table creates different angles and bounces.

Players have limited touches and have to carefully choose which part of the body to use. That combination of familiar football skills and unfamiliar technical demands makes the sport challenging even for experienced footballers.

Quimcy Dsouza’s Life Outside Competition

Dsouza’s career is also notable because she balances elite sport with professional work.

She works as a test engineer at Decathlon in Bengaluru. Her professional background is connected to sports but is separate from her competitive career.

This dual career reflects the reality faced by many athletes in developing sports. Recent reports have also highlighted the financial challenges faced by Indian teqball players.

Dsouza has spoken about working full-time and using income to support tournament participation. Her experience shows that the path to international competition is not always straightforward.

For Dsouza, training for the Asian Games has been combined with employment and efforts to grow the sport itself.

Quimcy Dsouza’s Role in Promoting Teqball in India

Dsouza has become one of the recognizable faces of Indian teqball. Her contribution extends beyond tournaments.

Through the Teqball Club of Bangalore she has helped introduce the sport to young players. She has also participated in school initiatives designed to make students more familiar with sports.

Her LinkedIn profile describes her as an international teqball athlete and shows her involvement with the Teqball Club of Bangalore and sports-related initiatives.

This part of her career could become particularly important if teqball continues to expand in India. A medal at the Asian Games would give the sport additional visibility.

It could also encourage more young athletes to consider teqball as a competitive discipline. For Dsouza, the Asian Games are therefore about more than one tournament.

They represent the result of four years of development and the possibility of giving a relatively new sport greater recognition.

What Comes Next for Quimcy Dsouza?

The immediate focus is the women’s singles bronze-medal match against Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto.

Dsouza has already defeated Sakamoto once during these Games. However, the bronze-medal match is a separate contest and will determine whether she leaves Nagoya with a medal.

She and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg are also scheduled to compete in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match. Whatever happens in the remaining matches, Dsouza has already made an important mark on Indian teqball.

She has taken an unusual sporting journey from athletics to football and then into teqball.

Her Asian Games appearance also gives Indian audiences a chance to learn about a sport that has remained outside the mainstream for much of its development.

 

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FAQ’s

Who is Quimcy Dsouza?

Quimcy Dsouza is an Indian teqball player and former footballer from Mumbai. She previously competed in athletics and represented Maharashtra in Under-19 football before taking up teqball in 2022.

How old is Quimcy Dsouza?

Quimcy Dsouza is 24 years old as of the 2026 Asian Games. Her date of birth is December 19, 2001, according to her FITEQ player profile.

What sport does Quimcy Dsouza play?

Quimcy Dsouza plays teqball. The sport combines football skills with elements of table tennis and is played on a curved table.

Was Quimcy Dsouza a footballer?

Yes. Dsouza previously represented Maharashtra in football at Under-19 level. She later moved into teqball and became one of India’s leading players.

When did Quimcy Dsouza start playing teqball?

She started playing teqball in 2022. Her interest developed after she saw Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho playing the sport online while she was recovering from a ligament injury.

Conclusion

Quimcy Dsouza’s story is different from the usual Indian sporting success story. She did not begin her career knowing that teqball would take her to the Asian Games.

She started with athletics, moved into football and eventually discovered teqball while recovering from an injury. What began in 2022 has now taken her to one of Asia’s biggest sporting events.

Her rise to a career-high world ranking of No. 24 and her seven national titles show how quickly she has developed in the sport.

Her upcoming match against Yuina Sakamoto could become another important chapter in her journey.

Whatever the result, Quimcy Dsouza has already helped put Indian teqball on a much bigger stage.

Her journey from running and football to an Asian Games medal challenge shows how a new sport can open an unexpected path for an athlete.

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