The centenary ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals will be doubly historic for those teams which are appearing on the ultimate stage for the first time.

Among the 64 men’s and 64 women’s teams travelling to London 2026 are six which have never before appeared at a World Team Championships in the 100 years since the first one was held in the same city in 1926.

Altogether, 80 nations will be represented in London – there are 48 in both the men’s and women’s competitions, 16 only in the men’s and 16 only in the women’s.

Two men’s and four women’s teams will be experiencing the thrill of competing at this level for the first time – three from Africa and three from Oceania.

The six teams on debut are:

Cook Islands women

Qualification route: Oceanic Championships

This will be the first time Cook Islanders have appeared at any World Championships, having secured a qualifying spot at the Oceania Championships last year.

The team is ranked No 48 in the world and represents a nation made up of 15 islands with a population of just 15,000 people.

They finished fourth behind Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti, beating Nauru 3-1 thanks to two singles victories by Casonya Bates, who also won the doubles alongside Jodie Gollop. Bates is currently their highest-ranked player at No 232.

They will have one of the longest journeys to London. The Cook Islands’ capital, Avarua, is just over 10,000 miles from London and, although Wellington in New Zealand is further at around 11,700 miles, the need to make connecting flights means the journey can take upwards of 30 hours.

Fiji men

Qualification route: World rankings

Fiji, a nation comprising more than 330 islands and just under one million people, will be represented by a men’s team for the first time at a World Championships.

However, this will not be the first time competing in England for the nation ranked No 52 in the world. They were in the field at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, when they played England men in the group stage.

In the Fiji team that day was a remarkable character – 62-year-old Stephen Reilly, an English-born former shark diver. He competed alongside Vicky Wu, who in 2024 made history as the first Fijian man to compete at an Olympic Games – where he was defeated in the first round by Liam Pitchford. Their highest-ranked player is currently Joshua Yee, at No 281 in the world.

Fiji women appeared at the World Championships in 2016, but this is a first for the men, although they were represented in the individual events in 1991, by Anthony Ho.

Ivory Coast/Côte d’Ivoire men

Qualification route: World rankings

Ranked No 49, the West African nation of just over 30 million people, has never before qualified a men’s or women’s team, although they have been represented at the individual Worlds.

Kanate Ali, Oba Kizito Oba and Yann Emmanuel Kouadjo all competed in the Men’s Singles at Dusseldorf 2017 and Budapest 2019, with Kouadjo & Oba in the doubles in 2019.

Oba is still active and is currently the nation’s top player in the world rankings at No 198.

Angola women

Qualification route: World rankings

Angola’s men have played teams three times previously and will compete again this year after an absence of 12 years, but it is uncharted territory for their female compatriots, whose world ranking is 52.

Angola women played in the individual Championships in 2009 and again last year, when Ruth Tavares & Isabel Albino competed in the Women’s Doubles. Albino is their highest-ranked individual at No 342 currently.

The Angolan teams will be representing a nation of more than 36 million people, which is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking country in the world after Brazil.

Democratic Republic of Congo women

Qualification route: World rankings

DR Congo’s men appeared at the World Championships in 2006, 2010 and 2012 but this will be a first appearance for the women – although they did enter in 2010 and 2014, withdrawing before the competition began. Their only appearance in the individual competitions was in 2009.

Their highest-ranked player currently is No 208, Ammadine Litobaka.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second largest African country by area and the 11th largest in the world. Its population is around 114 million.

Nauru women

Qualification route: World rankings

No Nauru athletes have ever appeared at the World Championships, but their women will be there thanks to a world ranking of 53.

They competed at the Oceania Championships in 2025, finishing fifth, where they were represented by Nancy Dagagio, Bryana Dagagio and Uzzaniah Grace Notte – the latter is currently ranked No 310 in the world.

At an area of 21 square kilometres, Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, behind Vatican City and Monaco. It has a population of around 12,000.