​The stage is set for the knockout rounds of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 Presented by ACN, and the Round of 32 has a vibrant mix of historic rivalries and first-time meetings.

Stage two gets under way on Bank Holiday Monday with England men and women featuring against Moldova and Ukraine respectively.

After two days of last-32 clashes, we will be down to the last 16 and the leading nations will be ready to ramp up their bids for glory – alongside any surprise packages who may emerge into contention.

Statistician Matt Solt has been looking into the record books and here are some of the key things to look out for.

England’s chances: Not much form guide to go on

England could not pick up a victory against the top nations in Stage 1a, but there were some good individual displays and they will feel their have winnable ties against Moldova (men) and Ukraine (women).

This will be the first time England men have faced Moldova, who finished second in their group in Stage 1b at the Copper Box Arena, with a 3-1 victory over Chile, a 3-0 win over Tahiti and a 3-2 defeat to Poland. They then won their Preliminary Round tie against Greece 3-2 to reach Stage 2.

England and Ukraine have met before – it was 3-1 to Ukraine in 1997 and 3-0 in 2000.

Ukraine qualified for Stage 2 directly thanks to their position as one of the highest performing second-placed teams from Stage 1B. They earned this with a 3-0 win over Rwanda and a 3-0 walkover win against Uganda, though they lost out 3-2 to group winners India.

England women are on court at 12.30pm and the men play at 5pm – with a home crowd backing them all the way, can they reach the last 16?

Men’s Team draw: Centenary echoes and fresh faces

​The Men’s Team bracket is brimming with fascinating historical throwbacks, befitting the centenary edition of the sport’s most prestigious team event.

Not least among them is the clash between ​Austria and India tomorrow. This fixture has roots stretching all the way back to the inaugural 1926 Championships in London, when Austria defeated India 7-2. The Europeans hold a dominant historical record, winning three other encounters, including a 3-2 group stage victory in 2018, the most recent meeting.

​France versus USA today is a classic transatlantic rivalry, though they have not met since 1991. The French team won the three most recent meetings, winning that match and the previous ones in 1989 and 1983.

With blockbuster movie Marty Supreme still fresh in the mind, there was a noteworthy clash here at Wembley in the 1948 Worlds when the man who inspired the film, Marty Reisman, met Frenchman Alexandre Agopoff in the second round, the American winning 21-19, 21-19, 22-20.

​Sweden against Hungary (May 5) is a meeting between the two undoubted powerhouses of European table tennis, having won the Men’s Team title 17 times between them.

Hungary lead that tally 12-5, having last won in 1979, whereas all Sweden’s wins have been since 1973 and most recently in 2000. But it is Hungary which boasts the victory in the latest meeting – 3-2 in the Round of 16 in 2010.

When China and Australia meet tomorrow, it will be their first team encounter at the World Championships – though they did meet at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where William Henzell had a game point to go 2-0 up on Wang Liqin before China turned the tide.

The only other first-time encounter in the men’s will see Korea Republic, fresh from inflicting China’s first defeat at this event in 26 years, take on Slovakia.

​​Women’s Team draw: Uncharted territory and renewed battles

​The Women’s Team (WT) bracket features a surprisingly high number of nations crossing paths for the very first time on the World Championship stage.

​Among the first meetings are: ​Kazakhstan vs Sweden (May 4), ​Canada vs Korea Republic (May 4), ​France vs Switzerland (May 5), ​Hong Kong China vs Wales (May 4) and ​Chinese Taipei vs Puerto Rico (May 5).

Wales won their group thanks to a victory over Australia in their final match, having previously defeated Uzbekistan and Nigeria. Hong Kong China were also group winners, beating Netherlands, Mexico and Macau China.

​Defending champions China meet Poland today, with an overwhelming historic dominance, most recently boasting consecutive 3-0 sweeps over Poland in 2010, 2012 (in the quarter-finals), and 2014.

​Second seeds Japan are also dominant against their opponents, Croatia, and they met two years ago in Busan, where Japan won 3-0 in the Round of 16.

​Germany versus Malaysia is a match-up that hasn’t been seen at this level in decades. Germany claimed victories back in 1991 and 1989, with side of the country’s reunification.

​Whether continuing a rivalry that began a century ago or facing off for the very first time, every single match is sure to be keenly contested.