Second edition of the WKF's world championships for national teams: 80 teams from 42 countries in kata and kumite, men and women, 20 to 22 November in Hangzhou. France is entered in three of the four events. Japan defends three titles.
Practical information
- Dates
- From Friday, November 20, 2026 to Sunday, November 22, 2026
- Venue
- Hangzhou, Chine
What's at stake
The Karate World Cup is the World Karate Federation's championship for national teams, first held in Pamplona in 2024. Four titles are at stake: male kata, female kata, male kumite and female kumite, with one team per country per event, so 20 teams per draw and 80 teams from 42 countries in all. Japan defends its titles in male kata, female kata and female kumite; Egypt is the holder in male kumite.
The draw, held online on 20 October, placed France in three events: female kata in Group D with Japan, Egypt, Germany and Colombia; female kumite in Group A, led by Spain; and male kumite in Group D with Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico and Uzbekistan. No French team is entered in male kata. Each event is played in round-robin groups, then quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches.
Schedule
Times published by the WKF, local time (Hangzhou is seven hours ahead of Paris and eight ahead of London):
- Friday 20 November: female kata groups (9 am) and male kumite groups (10:30 am to 7 pm), then quarter-finals in both events (7 pm to 8 pm); - Saturday 21 November: male kata groups (9 am) and female kumite groups (10:30 am to 3:30 pm), quarter-finals (3:30 pm to 4:10 pm), opening ceremony (4:30 pm), then the four semi-finals (5:30 pm to 7:10 pm); - Sunday 22 November: bronze-medal bouts and finals. Male kata (11 am, 4 am in Paris) and female kumite (11:45 am) in the morning; female kata (3 pm, 8 am in Paris) and male kumite (3:45 pm to 5:45 pm) in the afternoon, closing ceremony at 6 pm.
Getting there
Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. The WKF has not yet published the venue, ticketing or broadcast details; the draw was streamed on its YouTube channel.