If you play backgammon in an international tournament today, you are not simply facing an opponent across a board; behind that match is a system of rules, rankings, national federations, world championships, and shared standards. One of the most important organizations overseeing this structure at the international level is the WBGF or World Backgammon Federation.
WBGF is a non-profit international federation registered in Austria whose goal is to develop and promote backgammon as a mind sport, organize international competitions, and coordinate among national federations.
What Does WBGF Stand For?
WBGF stands for World Backgammon Federation. According to its statutes, the organization is an association registered under Austrian law, with its official headquarters in Schwaz, Austria. The statutes also define WBGF as politically and religiously neutral.
WBGF is essentially not a players' club; its structure is based on national backgammon associations and federations. According to its statutes, membership is defined for eligible national associations, with specific regulations governing the admission of members.
Where Did WBGF Start?
The roots of WBGF go back to 2014, when the European Backgammon Federation, or EUBGF, was established in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The organization initially operated with the goal of developing and promoting backgammon in Europe.
In 2018, EUBGF became the World Backgammon Federation, or WBGF, reflecting the expansion of its activities and international mission. In this way, the organization evolved from a European federation into a federation with a global mission.
What Exactly Does WBGF Do?
1. Coordinating and Regulating International Competitions
One of WBGF's main responsibilities is regulating and coordinating backgammon competitions at the international level. The organization's statutes include organizing world championships, setting competition systems, and approving and implementing tournament rules among its areas of activity.
The purpose of this structure is to ensure that when players from different countries face each other in an official competition, there is a defined framework for conducting the match.
2. Organizing World Championships
WBGF organizes various world championships. The federation's program includes competitions such as the World Team Championship, Individual Championship, Doubles Championship, and Women's Team Championship.
According to official WBGF information, the roots of the organization's team and individual championships go back to 2014, and they have been held in different countries in subsequent years. In 2026, the WBGF World Team, Women's Team, and Individual Championships were held in London.
Therefore, WBGF is not merely an administrative body, and part of its activities is directly dedicated to organizing international competitions.
3. Global Player Rankings
One of the important areas of WBGF's activity is the Backgammon World Rankings or BWR system. This system was launched in 2018 and is based on the results of tournaments submitted to the system by Tournament Directors.
In the online system, Tournament Directors can enter results directly, while tournament information and players' historical records are also available for viewing. As a result, the outcome of a match can be recorded in an international system and become part of a player's competitive history.
Simply put:
- Tournament is held
- Result is recorded
- Result is entered into the system
- Player history and ranking are updated
4. Establishing Common Rules and Standards
One of WBGF's goals is to create a common framework for competitive backgammon. The organization's statutes list the adoption and implementation of WBGF tournament rules and the regulation of competitions among its core activities.
This does not mean that every detail of local tournaments is identical around the world; rather, WBGF seeks to establish common frameworks and standards for international competitions and federation structures.
5. Developing National Federations
WBGF does not focus only on major tournaments. One of its official goals is to encourage the development of national organizations and help establish national federations in countries that do not yet have such structures.
Under this model, the competitive structure can progress from players and clubs to national tournaments, then to a national federation and international competitions. At the international level, WBGF acts as a coordinator and representative among these national structures.
6. Representing the Interests of Member Federations
According to its statutes, in addition to organizing competitions, WBGF seeks to represent the voice of the global backgammon community and protect the interests of member associations. Supporting members and resolving disputes among member associations are also included among the organization's official objectives.
How Does WBGF's Decision-Making Structure Work?
The highest body of WBGF is the General Assembly. According to the statutes, the General Assembly plays a role in matters such as membership, amendments to the statutes, and the election of the organization's governing bodies.
Alongside the General Assembly, the Executive Board is responsible for managing the organization and implementing its decisions. Therefore, WBGF's structure is based on member federations and a collective decision-making mechanism.
How Many Countries Are WBGF Members?
The number of WBGF members has changed over time. The federation's official website currently presents a network consisting of 44 member countries across different regions of the world. In an official statement published in January 2026, WBGF also described itself as a federation consisting of 44 member countries.
The official membership list covers regions including Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa.
How Is WBGF Different from a Tournament Organizer?
A Tournament Organizer is generally responsible for running a specific event, from determining the venue and registration to setting the tournament bracket, managing matches, and announcing results.
WBGF, however, operates at a broader level and deals with matters such as tournament rules, player rankings and titles, national federations, world championships, ethical standards, and the international development of backgammon.
For this reason, it is better to view WBGF as part of the governance and international organizational structure of backgammon rather than simply as a tournament organizer.
What Is the Difference Between WBGF and WBIF?
WBGF and WBIF or World Backgammon Internet Federation have similar names, but their activities are not the same.
WBGF is the international backgammon federation and focuses on national federation structures, world competitions, rules, and rankings. In contrast, WBIF is an internet-focused organization that provides a framework for organizing national and international online competitions. WBGF itself also lists WBIF among its affiliated organizations.
Therefore, it can be simply stated that:
- WBGF: The global federation structure and international competitive framework for backgammon
- WBIF: The international structure for online backgammon competitions
WBGF and the Effort to Establish Backgammon as a Mind Sport
One of WBGF's official goals is to develop and promote backgammon as a Mind Sport. This is also explicitly stated in the organization's statutes.
This approach emphasizes aspects such as skill, decision-making, strategy, and sporting competition in backgammon. In 2025, WBGF also announced that it had joined the International Mind Sports Association or IMSA.
Membership in IMSA does not in itself mean that backgammon has become an Olympic sport; these are not legally or sportingly equivalent concepts. This membership can instead be viewed within the broader context of WBGF's efforts to establish backgammon's position among international mind sports.
Why Is WBGF Important for Iranian Players?
For a player competing at the local level, WBGF may not initially seem particularly important. However, for a player who intends to participate in international competitions, federation structures and official ranking systems become more significant.
WBGF and WBIF have regulations concerning player eligibility to represent countries at international events. WBGF also lists WBIF among its affiliated organizations, and Iran appears on this list among the countries that hold online national championship competitions through WBIF.
As a result, when examining the position of Iranian backgammon within the international structure, it is important to distinguish between membership of a national federation in WBGF and Iran's participation in the online WBIF structure.
Conclusion: What Is WBGF in One Sentence?
WBGF, or the World Backgammon Federation, is an international federation that seeks to structure competitive backgammon through common rules and standards, global rankings, national federations, and international competitions.
The organization was established in 2014 under the name EUBGF and was renamed WBGF in 2018. Today, it coordinates a network of national federations alongside world championships, a ranking system, and development programs.
For this reason, WBGF can be considered one of the key components of the international backgammon structure, connecting players, clubs, national federations, and world competitions at different levels.