Japan reached their sixth successive Women’s Team final at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 Presented by ACN.

They defeated Germany 3-0 in the semi-finals and will face China in tomorrow’s final at OVO Arena Wembley after China also won 3-0, against Romania.

The first semi-final was between two teams which won this title on their first attempts – Germany way back in 1934 when the Women’s Team event was first contested, and Japan at the Bombay 1952 edition, the first time they had entered.

Germany were the first to lay down a marker, as Han Ying took the first game 11-5 against Miwa Harimoto.

However, after Harimoto saved a game point and went on to take the second 12-10, it was all one-way traffic as Harimoto went on to secure a 3-1 (5-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-8) victory.

The second match saw Sabine Winter fighting hard to get back on level terms as she took the first two games against Hina Hayata, taking her second game point to win the first 12-10 and then notching five points in a row to add the second 11-6.

But Hayata turned it around, winning the next three 11-5, 11-9, and 11-6 to put Japan on the threshold of yet another final appearance.

The task to complete the job fell to Honoka Hashimoto, while Nina Mittelham was aiming to prolong Germany’s stay at the tournament. It was Hashimoto who triumphed, 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-5) to seal the final spot again.

When China faced Romania in Stage 1a earlier in the competition, the match was done in 1hr 9min. Romania had not selected their top two for that match, but both Bernadette Szocs and Elizabeta Samara were in the line-up this time.

The match did last a little longer – 1hr 18min 41sec to be exact – but the outcome was the same as CHina won 3-0 without dropping a game.

Sun Yingsha was in a particular hurry as the world No 1 dispatched Samara 3, 4, 5. Wang Manyu then took her first game 11-4 against Szocs.

It was closer from there on in as both Szocs and Andreea Dragoman fought hard to get a foothold for Romania, but Szocs went down 11-9 and 12-10 in the next two games and Dragoman lost 10, 6, 10 to Kuai Man.

For Romania, though, much to be proud of as they win a first Worlds medal since 2000. As for China, another Championships, another final – will the outcome be different this time?