{"id":8434,"date":"2026-01-27T06:27:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T23:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=8434"},"modified":"2026-01-27T06:27:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T23:27:59","slug":"champions-china-have-tough-company-for-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/champions-china-have-tough-company-for-worlds\/","title":{"rendered":"Champions China have tough company for Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Reigning champions China have been drawn alongside host nation, England,\u00a0five-time winners Sweden and  Korea in Group 1 of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals to take place in London from April 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Undisputed winners of the last 11 editions, China will face stiff competition in what promises to be a highly competitive group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The draw for the championships took place last night at The Shard, setting the stage for a historic celebration of 100 years of World Championships.<br><br>France, the silver medallists at the last edition, will face Japan, Germany and Chinese Taipei in Group 2 as they bid to lift the Swaythling Cup for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the women&#8217;s competition, hosts England were drawn alongside Japan, Germany and France in Group 2. China, 23-time Corbillon Cup winners, headline Group 1 where they will meet Korea Republic, Chinese Taipei and five-time champions Romania.<br><br>&#8220;From London to London, we have come full circle,&#8221; said ITTF President Petra S\u00f6rling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;England has hosted the World Championships on seven occasions, but returning to where it all began makes this centenary edition truly special. This event is already historic, but I am confident it will also be unforgettable.&#8221;\u00a0<br><br>The top eight seeds in each competition will contest Stage 1a at OVO Arena Wembley on 2-3 May, with all teams progressing to Stage 2. Their group performances will determine their seedings for the knockout rounds.<br><br>Stage 1b takes place at the Copper Box Arena from 28 April to 1 May, where 56 teams in each competition will battle for the remaining 24 places in the Main Draw.<br><br>London 2026 marks 100 years since the first World Championships were held in the same city in 1926, making this the most significant edition in the event&#8217;s history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"573\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-14-1024x573.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-14-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-14-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-14-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-14.png 1175w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-15-1024x563.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-15-1024x563.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-15-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-15-768x423.png 768w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-15.png 1156w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reigning champions China have been drawn alongside host nation, England,\u00a0five-time winners Sweden and Korea in Group 1 of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[65],"class_list":["post-8434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-table-tennis"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reigning champions China have been drawn alongside host nation, England, five-time winners Sweden and Korea in Group 1 of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals to take place in London from April 28. 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15:51:58","updated":"2026-01-26 23:29:43","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/\" title=\"Newsbeat\">Newsbeat<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tChampions China have tough company for Worlds\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news"},{"label":"Newsbeat","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/newsbeat\/"},{"label":"Champions China have tough company for 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