The goal of winning a place at World Hopes Week will be driving 20 aspiring young athletes who are competing at the England Hopes Challenge this weekend.

The Challenge, hosted by Draycott TTC, will use the National Cup format, meaning 10 competitors in each of the girls’ and boys’ categories will play each other on a round-robin basis across the weekend.

The winner in each category will secure England’s wildcard spot into the ITTF World Hopes Week and Challenge event in Sheffield in October. 

The fields have been selected on the basis of rankings, with two wildcards added in each category. The athletes taking part are:

Girls: Cindy Xiao, Bethany Yang, Isabella Xiao Xu, Mindy Gao, Sakinah Damji, Akira Gabriella Bennatraj, Hattie Xiao, Mila Gao, Evie Fountain, Navya Pathak.

Boys: Jayden Xuan Chen, Saisuriya Prasanna Kumar, Lusio Wen, Lev Sahmurov, Daniel Pavia, Liam Higgins, Stefan Wierszyłłowski, Ignacy Wierszyłłowski, Jacob Dennison, Jonti Barnes.

What is World Hopes Week?

The ITTF Hopes Programme has, for more than 15 years, played a central role in identifying and nurturing the next generation of table tennis champions. The programme creates a clear and inspiring pathway for players under 12 – from local discovery to global recognition.

The World Hopes Week & Challenge is the pinnacle of this journey, following National and Continental Hopes events. Players who reach Sheffield have already demonstrated exceptional promise and earned their place through rigorous international qualification.

The programme has proved a launchpad for some global superstars, including Paris 2024 Men’s Singles silver medallist Truls Moregard of Sweden, Egypt’s Hana Goda and Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico.

The English Institute of Sport (EIS) Sheffield is hosting the week for the second successive year, following a hugely successful event in 2025. It means that once again the GB performance pathway will host the best young players from five continents, as well as a cohort of elite coaches.

Up to 20 boys and 20 girls, born in 2014 or later, will undertake a week of intensive training and international collaboration, ending in the Challenge competition on the final two days.