Six of us gathered in Lenah Valley on Sunday night for what turned into a genuinely fun evening — casual games on the machines, good company, and a late-night date with the world's best pinball players. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.
Before the stream kicked off, we got some good games in. Worth a mention: Shadow — which had caused some drama at last week's event — was still out of action when the night began, but Josh worked on it during the evening and got it sorted. He then proceeded to nearly complete it, falling just a handful of shots short during the final battle… before looping back around and nearly getting there a second time in the same game. One day...
At midnight we settled in with hot finger food, whiskey, and coffee for the IFPA21 Elite 8 finals, streamed live from District 82 in De Pere, Wisconsin. The finals themselves were something else. We made it through five games before calling it around 2:30am — still only partway through the opening pairing of Jason Zahler vs. Eric Stone, which ultimately didn't wrap up until after 4am. The quality of play was extraordinary, and we were more than happy losing sleep over it. Staying to the very end would have meant watching until past 8am. Hopefully next year's timing will be more friendly to us APAC watchers — it'll be hosted in Europe.
All three Australians did us proud in a brutally competitive field. Escher Lefkoff qualified 3rd overall out of 80, making it into the top 16 before bowing out on game 9. Tom Casey and Jason Lambert also represented well, finishing 45th and 58th in qualifying respectively. No easy feat in that company — this was as deep and talented a field as the sport produces.
The championship ultimately went to Jason Zahler, who claimed his 5th Major Championship — one of only five players in competitive pinball history to reach that milestone. The full rundown is on the IFPA website. If you want to relive the matches, the replays are on foxcitiespinball on Twitch for a short time before moving to their YouTube channel — worth grabbing them while they're easy to find.
We didn't manage any proper photos on the night, but we've scraped together what we could — one from the camera, one from the stream, and one courtesy of District 82. They'll have to do!
Thanks to everyone who came out. It was a great night to witness such high level play, and a good introduction to top-level competitive pinball for those newer to the scene — hopefully we'll make it a tradition whenever the World Championship rolls around.
This one's not a tournament — just a casual hangout for anyone who wants to watch the IFPA21 World Pinball Championship finals together. Come join us Sunday evening at a house in Lenah Valley from 9 PM for some friendly games, then at midnight we'll power the machines down and tune in live as the top 8 players in the world battle it out in De Pere, Wisconsin for the most prestigious title in competitive pinball.
Australia has three players representing this year — Escher Lefkoff (top Australian country rank), Tom Casey (2025/26 ACS champion), and Jason Lambert (49th in the world) — so fingers crossed we see them all make it through to Sunday night!
Fair warning: the finals start from midnight our time, so we'll watch the Elite 8 and see how everyone — including the host — is feeling before committing to the long haul. No pressure either way!
Bring snacks to share, BYO drinks and caffeine, and make sure you RSVP to contact@tapp.net.au so we know you're coming.
The full championship kicks off on Friday the 5th of June (Wisconsin time) with all 80 players — cheer on the Aussies through the earlier rounds and hopefully we see them come Sunday night. Full schedule and details at the IFPA21 overview page.