The participants do not know in advance who they will be sitting with at the table. “Four players are drawn from each table via the computer,” explains head referee Marc Verbrugghe. “One writer remains seated, the three others rotate after each round. In the end, everyone plays against everyone. It is a fair system.”
A striking trend this year is the rejuvenation within the card game. “The age of the players is clearly decreasing,” says Freddy Verhuizen, chairman of the IWWA, the international Manila federation. “And that is exactly what we want to achieve: that young people also discover the pleasure of manila.” One of those young participants is Remi Vuilsteke, who is clearly enjoying his first World Cup. “It’s fun to play cards with other people. Will I become world champion? Let’s try!”
The councilor for welfare, Wim Vandenberghe, also tried his hand at manila, although he fared less well. “With one win in six, I won’t be there for the last 32, but that’s not the most important thing. The atmosphere is excellent, and that’s what today is really all about.”
At the end of the day, one player can call himself the 2025 Manila World Champion. The winner goes home with a challenge cup and a real diamond.