Welcome to the draw for the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026!

We are live at London’s tallest building, The Shard – a fitting location as the 64 women’s and 64 men’s teams discover who they will meet in the group stages of the tournament.

Stay here for live updates when the draw starts at noon and follow the draw live on the ITTF YouTube channel below.

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Live updates

12.36: Third positions in groups 6-8: Iran in Group 8 . . . Uganda in Group 6 . . . and Tunisia in Group 7.

12.35: Third positions in groups 3-5: South Africa in Group 3 . . . Kazakhstan in Group 5 . . . and Netherlands in Group 4

12.34: Second positions in groups 3-5: Mexico in Group 4 . . . Algeria in Group 3 . . . and Czechia in Group 5.

12.32: Second positions in groups 6-8: Canada in Group 7 . . . Serbia in Group 8 . . . and Ukraine in Group 6.

12.30: Second positions in groups 9-12: Spain in Group 9 . . . Luxembourg in Group 10 . . . Malaysia in Group 12 . . . and Nigeria in Group 11.

12.28: Second position in groups 13-16 as follows: Austria in Group 14 . . . Italy in Group 13 . . . Slovakia in Group 16 . . . and Hungary in Group 15.

12.26: Jill Parker MBE is on stage and will help pull out the balls which will decide the groups for the teams ranked 23-64. She starts by talking about her own Women’s Doubles bronze alongside Beatrix Kishazi of Hungary in 1973.

12.25: The first part of the Stage 1B Women’s Team draw is ceremonial and involves placing the teams ranked 9-22 in the top slots in groups 3-16. The slots, with every continent represented among the seeds, are:

Group 3: Egypt; Group 4: Hong Kong China; Group 5: Brazil; Group 6: India; Group 7: Sweden; Group 8: Thailand; Group 9: Poland; Group 10: Portugal; Group 11: Australia; Group 12: USA; Group 13: Croatia; Group 14: Puerto Rico; Group 15: Singapore; Group 16: Chile

12.20: The opening formalities are over and our MC Ellie Scarlett is talking about the two trophies – the Swaythling Cup for the winning Men’s Team and the Corbillon Cup for the Women’s Team champions. It’s the women’s draw we’ll be starting with in just a few moments.

12.16: Esther Britten MBE from UK Sport has taken the mike and is speaking of the importance of the National Lottery in helping to funding major events which bring people together and inspire them to play sport.

12.14: Table Tennis England Chair Clare Briegal MBE says, standing in London’s tallest building, she feels on top of the world as we prepare to welcome the world.

12.10: ITTF President Petra Sörling takes to the lectern. She starts by referencing the birth of the ITTF in a very different London landscape 100 years ago, and that first World Championships in 1926. And although much has changed, the passion for the sport is just the same. Returning to where it all began makes this centenary championships truly special, she says, and promises the Championships will be unforgettable.

12.04: These are the centenary World Championships, of course. We’re just taking a video tour of the last 100 years in 100 seconds. It’s fair to say the sport has changed a bit since then, as this article explains.

12.00: Off we go – some welcoming VT, speeches and an explanation of the draws first up, then the first draw will be the women’s Stage 1B with Wales women finding out who they will face.

11.58: Also with us are two English World Championships medallists who will be helping with the draws. Table Tennis England President Jill Parker MBE, a Women’s Doubles bronze medallist in 1973, will pull the balls out of the bowls for the women’s draws and Paul Drinkhall, a Men’s Team bronze medallist in 2016, will assist with the men’s draws.

11.55: The guests are taking their seats and we are just minutes away from the draw! We’re joined today by ITTF President Petra Sörling, WTT Group CEO Steve Dainton, Table Tennis England Chair Clare Briegal MBE, representatives from UK Sport, the City of London and Table Tennis International Events.