Ukraine at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals
21/02/2026
Red Bull Street Style is, without exaggeration, one of the most prestigious freestyle football championships in the world. In terms of media exposure and global reach, it has no equal. Since 2008, eleven World Finals have been held worldwide. Each one has featured spectacular locations, world-class football stars among the guests and judges, and unforgettable, explosive emotions for both participants and spectators. Red Bull transformed a street subculture into a large-scale, world-class show. Ukraine has been part of that journey – fighting, learning, breaking through, and making history. This is the complete story of Ukraine at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals.
Global Geography: A Truly Worldwide Championship
Over its 15-year history, Red Bull Street Style World Finals have been held on five continents, turning the tournament into a truly global phenomenon in freestyle football.
Europe – The Tournament’s Stronghold
Europe became the natural home of competitive freestyle football at the highest level. Europe has hosted more than half of all finals:
🇮🇹 Lecce (2012)
🇬🇧 London (2016)
🇵🇱 Warsaw (2018)
🇪🇸 Valencia (2021)
🇭🇷 Pula (2022)
🇧🇪 Brussels (2023)
South America – The Birthplace of Football Magic
Brazil has hosted the world finals twice. A symbolic choice – football is not just a sport there; it is culture.
🇧🇷 São Paulo (2008)
🇧🇷 Salvador (2014)
Africa, Asia, North America
Each edition combined iconic architecture, urban culture, and world-class freestyle battles.
🇿🇦 Cape Town (2010)
🇯🇵 Tokyo (2013)
🇺🇸 Miami (2019)
2010 – Cape Town: The African Debut
From April 26 – 28, 2010, the second Red Bull Street Style World Final took place in Cape Town, set against the legendary Castle of Good Hope, the oldest colonial building in South Africa. The tournament was held just weeks before the FIFA World Cup kicked off in the country, which significantly increased global attention.
Red Bull Street Style 2010 World Finals remains the largest in the event’s history, featuring nearly 60 countries.
Ukraine was represented by 19-year-old Kyiv native 🇺🇦 Oleksii “Zhura” Zhurakhovskyi of the UkrFreestyle team. 🇺🇦 Zhura faced the national champions of Greece, Spain, Albania, Brazil, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia in the group stage. 🇧🇷 Arthur Mansilla and 🇪🇸 Jesus Gomes were considered favorites, but 🇺🇦 Zhura was seen as the main challenger capable of disrupting their path to the playoffs.
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇬🇷 Alexandros Pitsalidis 1:2 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇪🇸 Jesus Gomes 0:3 🔴 video
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇦🇱 Fabian Duro 1:2 🔴 video
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇧🇷 Arthur Mansilla 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇸🇦 Baffa 3:0 🟢 video
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇨🇭 Nadir Ben Brahim 0:3 🔴 video
But five defeats in six battles kept him outside the Top 16. Only a victory over Saudi Arabia stood out as a bright moment in the group stage. Lack of experience at this level played a decisive role. There were also controversial judging decisions. His debut on the world stage became a tough but invaluable lesson.
2012 – Lecce: Ukrainian “Mamma Mia!”
Red Bull Street Style 2012 World Final moved to sunny Italy, to Lecce, the heart of Apulia. The event unfolded outdoors inside the ancient Roman Amphitheatre of Lecce, a Roman-era landmark in the city center. Thousands of spectators, illuminated historic walls, and authentic Italian vibes turned the tournament into an unforgettable open-air spectacle. Watch the show
Ukraine was represented by 🇺🇦 Max Dudka from Dniprodzerzhynsk, becoming the second Ukrainian freestyler in tournament history.
The group stage was unsuccessful. Only one victory, over the group’s outsider, and four defeats left no chance for the next stage. However, participation itself reinforced Ukraine’s consistent presence at the global level.
🇺🇦 Max Dudka vs 🇩🇿 Wassim “Wass” Benslimane 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Max Dudka vs 🇷🇺 Ігор “Artes” Олійник 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Max Dudka vs 🇩🇪 Dominik Kaiser 1:2 🔴
🇺🇦 Max Dudka vs 🇦🇱 Fabian Duro 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Max Dudka vs 🇸🇳 Sidate 3:0 🟢
An interesting coincidence: one of his opponents was 🇦🇱 Fabian Duro – the same athlete who defeated 🇺🇦 Zhura in Cape Town two years earlier.
2013 – Tokyo: The Ukrainian Breakthrough
September 18–20, 2013. The fourth World Final was hosted in Tokyo at the historic Zojoji Temple, one of the city’s oldest Buddhist temples. Ancient Japanese architecture, thousands of spectators, and the unique atmosphere of the Land of the Rising Sun created a spectacular stage for the world’s freestyle football elite.
This was Ukraine’s third World Final and 🇺🇦 Zhura’s second appearance. The draw placed him in an extremely challenging group: champions of Canada, Germany, Algeria, Ghana – plus 🇯🇵 Tokura and 🇮🇪 Daniel Dennehy, the reigning champion and vice-champion.
Being placed in the same group as both the current world champion and vice-champion is hardly an ideal scenario – even for experienced athletes. However, Tokyo became the tournament where 🇺🇦 Zhura proved he belonged among the elite.
After losing the opening battle to 🇯🇵 Tokura, he secured four consecutive victories – including a win over the vice-champion. Despite a controversial final group-stage loss to 🇩🇿 Wass, 🇺🇦 Zhura finished second in the group and became the first Ukrainian freestyler to reach the Top 16.
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇯🇵 Kotaro “Tokura” Tokuda 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇨🇦 Jose Avalos 3:0 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇮🇪 Daniel “DanTheMan” Dennehy 2:1 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇩🇪 Kevin Kuck 2:1 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇬🇭 Joel “Titi” Asare 3:0 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇩🇿 Wassim “Wass” Benslimane 0:3 🔴
In the Round of Top 16, he faced tournament favorite 🇬🇧 Andrew Henderson, already a multiple national champion and world titleholder. The battle was high-level on both sides. 🇬🇧 Andrew advanced and later claimed bronze. 🇺🇦 Zhura left the stage with his head held high – he had proven he could compete with the very best.
2014 – Salvador: Third in a Row
November 15–16, 2014. The freestyle elite gathered again in Brazil, this time in the city of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia. Forty-two of the world’s best freestylers, South American heat, and the atmosphere of a country where football is a religion.
Ukraine received a direct wild-card invitation. 🇺🇦 Zhura competed in his third World Final.
The group-stage draw offered Oleksii no favors. His opponents included: 🇧🇷 Lukinhas, 🇭🇺 Rocco, 🇱🇺 Sven, and two-time world champion 🇵🇱 MichRyc. Widely considered the strongest group of the tournament. Every athlete in the lineup had both national titles and international experience. Realistically, all five competitors were legitimate contenders for a Top 16 spot.
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇵🇱 Michał “MichRyc” Rycaj 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇭🇺 Roland “Rocco” Karaszi 2:1 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇱🇺 Sven Fielitz 2:1 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇧🇷 Lukinhas 1:2 🔴
As expected, 🇵🇱 MichRyc finished first in the group. The battle for second place – and the final playoff spot – came down to Ukraine and Brazil. In their direct encounter, 🇧🇷 Lukinhas edged 🇺🇦 Zhura. That head-to-head victory ultimately became decisive. When all battle points were counted, the Brazilian finished just one point ahead of 🇺🇦 Zhura in the standings. One point. The difference between advancing to the Top 16 and elimination.
Maybe a major factor that influenced the overall result was acclimatization and travel fatigue. Most of the other competitors arrived in Brazil several days in advance to adjust to the climate and time zone. 🇺🇦 Zhura landed just one day before the start of the group stage.
This Red Bull Street Style demonstrated something important: even without advancing to the playoffs, 🇺🇦 Zhura was not a one-time breakthrough athlete. He had established himself as a consistent competitor capable of performing at the highest level of freestyle football.
2018 – Warsaw: Dzień dobry, Anatolii!
After a four-year absence, Ukraine returned. Although Ukraine received a wild-card for the Red Bull Street Style 2016 World Finals in London, financial constraints prevented participation. At that time, Ukraine was to be represented by a member of the UkrFreestyle team, 🇺🇦 Ihor Samoded.
On November 21–22, 2018, at the historic location Hala Gwardii, Ukraine was represented by 🇺🇦 Anatolii Yarmistyi from Chernivtsi. Fresh blood, new style, new ambitions.
The group stage proved challenging. One win in five battles marked a difficult debut. Warsaw became for 🇺🇦 Yarmistyi what Cape Town had been for 🇺🇦 Zhura eight years earlier – a first exposure to the true level of Red Bull Street Style competition.
🇺🇦 Yarmistyi vs 🇳🇴 Brynjar Fagerli 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Yarmistyi vs 🇲🇽 Jairo Gonzalez 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Yarmistyi vs 🇧🇪 Yassine Abdelrahim 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Yarmistyi vs 🇨🇮 Abdul Titi Kone 3:0 🟢
🇺🇦 Yarmistyi vs 🇨🇿 Daniel Prazak 0:3 🔴
2019 – Miami: The Final Chord
November 14–15, 2019. The World Final landed in the United States for the first time, in Miami’s iconic Wynwood arts district – the perfect place for football freestyler battles.
After winning the Ukrainian Championship, 🇺🇦 Zhura returned for his fourth personal appearance.
Among his rivals are the champions of Chile, Belgium, France, Ireland, as well as the reigning Red Bull Street Style 2018 champion 🇳🇴 Erland Fagerli.
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇨🇱 Felipe “Pipe” Cofre 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇧🇪 Cyprian Mikita 3:0 🟢
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇫🇷 Jordan Meunier 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇳🇴 Erland Fagerli 0:3 🔴
🇺🇦 Zhura vs 🇮🇪 Conor Reynolds 1:2 🔴
Unfortunately, Miami did not become a successful chapter. One win in five battles marked a disappointing performance. 🇺🇦 Zhura had unusual stiffness in his movements, a lack of dynamics, and mistakes where there should have been none. No excuses – just a harsh lesson from sport itself.
The Miami tournament became Ukraine’s last appearance at the Red Bull Street Style World Finals to date.
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic forced organizers to hold the competition online. Freestylers from around the world were able to participate remotely. The qualification system consisted of four preliminary stages followed by a World Final, where only the Top 16 athletes advanced.
Seven athletes represented Ukraine in the online qualifiers. However, only two progressed beyond the first stage: 🇺🇦 Ihor Samoded and 🇺🇦 Vlad “ATTE” Zhyhailo. Both competitors were eliminated in the second stage, ending Ukraine’s campaign before the World Final.
In 2021, Red Bull Street Style returned to its usual format. However, due to ongoing COVID restrictions, the number of finalists was immediately limited to the Top 16. Almost all qualifying rounds, except for a few countries, were held online. Ukraine held its own qualifiers, but the winner, 🇺🇦 Denys “Di-sS” Semenko (Rovenky), was eliminated in the next round. Read more about it HERE.
In 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine eliminated the possibility of holding any qualifying competitions.
The Numbers
- Six World Finals out of twelve.
- Four continents visited.
- Three Ukrainian representatives.
- 32 battles fought.
- One historic Top 16 finish.
These are the key milestones of Ukraine’s journey at the Red Bull Street Style World Final. But numbers tell only part of the story. What truly defines Ukraine’s presence on the world stage is resilience – returning after defeats, breaking through barriers, competing against world champions, and standing toe-to-toe with the best in freestyle football. We believe this is only a pause – not an ending.
The story will continue.