Six major coffee competitions will take place across four continents during the 2026 World Coffee Championships season. The Specialty Coffee Association has announced significant schedule changes and event locations that break from traditional formatting used in previous years.
The season opens April 10-12, 2026, with the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego, California. This event marks the initial year the North American Specialty Coffee Expo rebrands as World of Coffee San Diego. The rebrand maintains the same competition standards while aligning with SCA’s global branding strategy.
The World Cup Tasters Championship follows on May 7-9, 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand, at BITEC. Bangkok represents one of two new host cities announced for 2026, reflecting SCA’s efforts to expand specialty coffee interest in culturally significant markets. The competition emphasizes sensory skills including speed, accuracy, and palate mastery among participants.
Brussels, Belgium, serves as the subsequent new host city and will make history by hosting three championships simultaneously. The World Brewers Cup, World Coffee Roasting Championship, and World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship all take place June 25-27, 2026, at Brussels Expo. This concurrent scheduling differs from previous years and aims for logistical efficiency and audience consolidation.
The season concludes October 23-25, 2026, with the World Barista Championship in Panama City, Panama. Each host city corresponds with major regional trade events branded as World of Coffee.
One championship remains unscheduled. The World Cezve/Ibrik Championship hasn’t received a public announcement for its 2026 dates and location. The competition celebrates diverse brewing methods that honor traditional coffee preparation techniques from various cultures.
This geographic spread marks a significant shift from previous cycles that centered mainly in a few regions. The staggered schedule across different continents improves global engagement opportunities throughout the year and prepares the coffee community for a more integrated event experience.
The SCA manages and announces all official schedules and locations for these championships. Each competition promotes professional growth, innovation, and international collaboration within the specialty coffee industry.
The new format emphasizes bringing competitions to commercially important coffee markets while honoring coffee heritage traditions worldwide. The restructuring represents the most thorough format change in recent championship history.
