Table Tennis: India's men and women's team qualifies for 2026 World TT Championships
India secure spot in ITTF Championship in London
The 2026 World Table Tennis Championships Finals are set to take place in London next year, starting at the Copper Box Arena during the opening rounds before moving to the iconic Wembley Arena for the latter rounds between May 2 and 10.
In a shift from previous editions, which were made up of 40 teams, the upcoming tournament will feature a total of 64 teams each in the men’s and women’s events, as confirmed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) last week.
In total, 16 teams representing Asia will earn entry to the London showpiece, though only four slots are allocated for direct qualification. The remaining 12 berths will depend on results from across the Asian Championships, and you can check the latest betting odds right here.
The latest team to book their spot in the competition is India, who did so thanks to a stellar run at the South Asia Regional Championships 2025 in Kathmandu, where they finished in first place among five competing nations and ended the tournament with an unbeaten record.
India’s men’s team included Aniban Ghosh, Divyansh Srivastava, Abhinandh Pradhivadhi, Ronit Bhanja and Akash Pal, while the women’s team was made up of Taneesha Kotecha, Krittwika Roy, Syndrela Das, Sayali Wani and Selena Selvakumar.
Key change to 2026 World TT Championships
A notable change for the 2026 World TT Championships is in the staging, with stage 1a set to feature eight ‘elite teams’, which comprise the seven top-ranked nations and the tournament host. Matches in this section will determine seedings for the participating teams in the main draw.
Then, in stage 1b, the remaining 56 nations will be split into 14 groups. All 14 group winners will progress directly, and they will be joined by six best-performing second-place teams. The bottom eight second-placed sides will contest a final knockout round, with the winners progressing.
India’s early qualification for London 2026 is a massive step for the sport across the nation, and a solid performance at the tournament will have major implications on the Olympic Games qualifications, global ranking points, and, of course, national pride.
