The 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup 2026 brought more than 2,600 competitors to Benidorm, Spain for a week of sporting excellence, international friendship and important developments across the ITF community.
From 29 September to 3 October, Palau d’Esports l’Illa de Benidorm became the center of ITF Taekwon-Do. More than 2,600 competitors representing 57 nations and delegations took part in the 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup 2026, with five days of competition across eleven rings. The programme included Patterns, Sparring, Power Breaking, Special Technique, Pre-Arranged Sparring and Team events, bringing together athletes of different ages, grades, and abilities.
Organised by Federación Española de Taekwon-Do ITF (FEST) under the supervision of Master Paco Ferrando, the World Cup was also a meeting point for the wider ITF community. The General Assembly, the Adapted World Cup, a special celebration of women in Taekwon-Do, a World Cup Gala, and important institutional developments all contributed to a memorable week.
Competition Highlights
Across five days, eleven competition rings hosted events in Patterns, Sparring, Power Breaking, Special Technique, Pre-Arranged Sparring and Team disciplines, covering Pre-Junior (12-14 years), Junior (15-17 years), Adult (18-34 years), Senior (35-45 years) and Veteran (46+ years) divisions. A total of 218 categories were decided, with 818 medals awarded to athletes representing 182 clubs and 45 countries and delegations.
The scale of participation was reflected in several exceptionally large divisions. The biggest individual category on the opening day was Pre-Junior Male Pattern 1st Dan with 126 competitors, while the largest Sparring division comprised 65 competitors in the Junior Male 60–65 kg category. On the second day, Junior Male Black Belt Special Technique attracted 96 entries. The Junior Male and Female 1st Dan Pattern each featured 125 competitors on Friday, while Saturday’s Junior Male Dan Team Sparring brought together 30 teams.
Argentina finished first in the overall country medal table, with 35 gold, 41 silver and 68 bronze medals, for a total of 144. Ukraine placed second with 22 gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals, followed by Ireland with 18 gold, 16 silver and 32 bronze, and England with 18 gold, 14 silver and 37 bronze. Athletes from 38 countries won gold medals, demonstrating the breadth of international success. In the club rankings, the Irish Taekwon-Do Association collected the highest overall medal total, with 35 medals, including 12 gold. The Solovey Team from Ukraine topped the official Best Club ranking, which excludes medals from categories with three or fewer entries, with 11 gold medals.
The official rankings are available here:
The five-day programme concluded on Saturday, 3 October, with the remaining Special Technique categories and Team events, completing a World Cup that combined large-scale participation, high-level performances and a wide distribution of medals across the international ITF community.
Read the full competition reports per day:
- Day 1: Opening Ceremony and 39 Champions
- Day 2: 75 Categories with a Golden Day for Argentina
- Day 3: Solovey Team Lead the Way as Japan Rule the Pattern Finals
- Day 4: Sean O’Neil Doubles Up as the Senior Sparring Finals Light Up Benidorm
- Day 5: Ukraine Sweeps the Junior Team Sparring as Argentina Finishes on Top
As a club-based event, the World Cup offered teams from individual clubs the opportunity to compete internationally, creating an environment in which sporting rivalry and cooperation between clubs remained central to the experience.
Complete entries, draws, and results are available through the result book available at Sportdata.
A World Cup Gala to remember
Friday evening brought the World Cup community together for a special Gala featuring four Adult Black Belt finals, official addresses, recognitions, and a traditional pre-arranged demonstration by Argentina inspired by techniques of the last pattern Tong-Il.
The evening also delivered one of the week’s most spectacular sporting achievements. Romania’s Andrei Ionut Chiriac successfully cleared 292 cm in the Twimyo Nopi Ap Cha Busigi (flying front kick), establishing a new world record and retaining his place as record holder.
The Gala recognised the people and organisations whose work made the event possible. ITF President GM Paul Weiler and Secretary General GM Tadeusz Loboda presented acknowledgements to Master Paco Ferrando, Master José Luis Diego Bas, GM Juan Ferrando and Jesús Castellanos, President of the Real Federación Española de Taekwondo.
The institutional highlight was when Master Paco Ferrando brought together the ITF Board of Directors and representatives of World Taekwondo for a joint mesage to the world: different styles and organisations of Taekwon-Do have all the same roots.
The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and Luis Cervera of the Directorate General for Sport of the Generalitat Valenciana also addressed the audience, underlining the importance of cooperation between the sporting community and the host authorities.
Read the full World Cup Gala report.
Taekwon-Do for all: The 3rd Adapted World Cup
Inclusion was one of the defining themes of the Benidorm programme. On 30 September, the ITF held the 3rd Adapted Taekwon-Do World Cup, celebrating the achievements and individual expression of practitioners with disabilities.
The event brought together 33 registered athletes, with 61 entries representing 20 clubs from 12 countries across 20 categories. A total of 58 medals were awarded. Competitors demonstrated their skills in Pattern categories adapted to the familiar structure of regular ITF Pattern competition. The event also introduced Free Skill for the first time, giving 28 athletes the opportunity to express their abilities through individual performances. Depending on the athlete’s needs and approach, these could include punching and kicking combinations, work with striking pads, or choreographed demonstrations. Coaches, helpers and partners were permitted to support participants.
Athletes with a wide range of abilities, including blind and autistic practitioners and wheelchair users, took part in an atmosphere marked by enthusiasm, encouragement and emotion. Scotland led the overall country ranking with ten gold medals, followed by Ireland with four.
The Adapted World Cup demonstrated how Taekwon-Do can create meaningful opportunities for participation, achievement and belonging. It gave athletes, coaches and supporters a powerful reminder that the values of the art extend well beyond the competition floor.
Read the full report: 3rd Adapted World Cup – A Celebration of Ability, Expression and Inclusion.
Reaching the World
The ITF World Cup 2026 reached audiences far beyond Benidorm. The official ITF YouTube livestream attracted 650,000 views and more than 60,000 hours of viewing during the event week, making the competition freely accessible to Taekwon-Do practitioners and supporters worldwide.
The ITF website, Facebook page, and Instagram account complemented the livestream with news, photographs, videos and updates throughout the event. Together with with press experts from all over the world, only Instagram reels reached a combined total of more than 10 mio views. All these channels documented the competition and brought attention to the wider activities and stories of the ITF community.
International professional coverage was further strengthened by Inside the Games, whose reporter Raúl Daffunchio Picazo, was present in Benidorm and published ten reports on the event. Beyond the sporting results, coverage addressed important developments in ITF governance, the evolution of Adapted Taekwon-Do and the role of Harmony Taekwon-Do in lifelong participation:
- ITF changes electoral system ahead of 2027
- Benidorm drives evolution of Adapted Taekwon-Do
- Harmony: Taekwon-Do for life
The combined coverage created an enduring record of Benidorm 2026, sharing the event’s sporting achievements, institutional developments and inclusive values with a global audience.
The General Assembly: Decisions and the road ahead
The week began with the ITF General Assembly on Monday, 28 September. Representatives of Member Associations met in Benidorm to discuss matters concerning the Federation’s governance, membership, equipment standards and future development.
The Assembly provided an important opportunity for members to exchange views, review ongoing work and contribute to the direction of the ITF. Taking place alongside the World Cup, it brought the Federation’s institutional responsibilities together with the international gathering of practitioners and clubs.
The main decision on that night was the by-election of a second female member to the ITF Board of Directors. After three candidates outlined their priorities, the General Assembly elected Master Christine Young for the term until the next elections in 2027
Read the full report: ITF General Assembly 2026 – Decisions, Development and Looking Ahead.
Be YOU. Bravely: Celebrating women across the ITF
The World Cup also provided a platform for the ITF Women’s Committee to celebrate the women who contribute to Taekwon-Do at every level. Under the campaign “Be YOU. Bravely”, female competitors, coaches, umpires, Masters, and leaders were invited to come together for a group photograph on Thursday evening.
The initiative highlighted the many roles women hold throughout the ITF community and encouraged them to be visible, confident and active in the development of the art. Women of all grades and ages were part of the message, from colour-belt competitors to Grand Masters and from athletes on the mats to those working behind the scenes.
The campaign also acknowledged the importance of sustained support and opportunities for women to progress into senior technical and leadership roles, where representation remains a long-term challenge.
Read the full World Cup Day 3 report, including Be YOU. Bravely.
A significant step towards unity in Scotland
The World Cup also provided the setting for an important milestone in the effort to unify Scotland’s two Taekwon-Do associations. Following two years of dialogue and consultation, representatives signed an agreement establishing a framework for the next stages of the merger process.
A key commitment is to develop a unified Scottish team ahead of the 2027 World Championships in Paraguay. The agreement reflects the work of the ITF Merger Committee and the willingness of both associations to move forward through cooperation and mutual respect.
Although further steps remain before the merger can be completed, the agreement represents a positive development for Scottish ITF Taekwon-Do and an encouraging example for other associations working towards greater unity.
Read the full report: Scotland’s Merger Process Takes a Significant Step Forward.
A shared achievement for the ITF community
The 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Cup 2026 in Benidorm, Spain, combined sporting excellence with opportunities for inclusion, institutional progress, and international cooperation. Its 218 titles recognised the achievements of competitors across generations and disciplines. The Adapted World Cup demonstrated the potential of Taekwon-Do to reach practitioners with different abilities, while the Women’s Committee campaign brought visibility to the many contributions of women across the organisation.
The General Assembly and the agreement concerning Scotland’s merger process added an important institutional dimension to the week. Together with the work of the organisers, officials, volunteers and host authorities, these activities made Benidorm a significant gathering for the entire ITF community.
The ITF extends its appreciation to España ITF Taekwon-Do, Master Paco Ferrando and the organising team, the host city and regional authorities, all participating clubs and Member Associations, and everyone who contributed to the event.
Benidorm 2026 was a celebration of achievement, dedication and shared purpose — and another opportunity to advance the vision of Taekwon-Do for All.
Scotland’s Merger Process Takes a Significant Step Forward
