London 2026 will mark a centenary celebration like no other, as the World Championships return to where it all began. When the inaugural World Table Tennis Championships took place in London in 1926, few could have imagined how the sport would grow to become the global phenomenon it is today. That same year also saw the founding of the ITTF, making London 2026 a special centenary celebration.
To mark this historic milestone, the ITTF has outlined a comprehensive playing system for the World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals that promises to deliver excitement and ensure every match matters until the very end.
The competition will feature 64 teams in both men’s and women’s events, expanding significantly from the 40-team format used in recent championships. This growth reflects the global development of table tennis and gives more teams the opportunity to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
The tournament will unfold across two prestigious London venues. The Copper Box Arena will host the opening stages from 28 April to 1 May, before the action moves to Wembley Arena from 2-10 May, where the world’s best teams battle for the ultimate prize.
The 64 teams in each gender are organised into 16 groups of four teams. Each group plays a complete round robin competition—three matches per team.
The key innovation lies in the staging. Stage 1a features the elite eight teams (the top seven ranked nations plus the host team) in just two groups. These matches determine seedings for the main draw, with all eight teams progressing automatically.
Stage 1b contains the remaining 56 teams across 14 groups, where only the strongest performers advance. All 14 group winners progress directly, plus six of the best second-placed teams based on their match records.
The remaining eight second-placed teams face a preliminary knockout round—four matches with only the winners advancing to complete the 32-team main draw.
[View the full playing system here]
The tournament builds towards a crescendo, with the Women’s Team final on 9 May followed by the Men’s Team final on 10 May—a perfect finale to what promises to be a memorable World Championships in the sport’s centenary year.
From the first serve at the Copper Box to the final point at Wembley, London 2026 will showcase not just the present strength of world table tennis but honour the remarkable journey that began in this very city 100 years ago.
