Championship Name: Dubai World Coffee Championships — headlined by the Cezve/Ibrik Championship (CIC), the first stage of the 2026 World Coffee Championships (WCC) season.
Year: 2026
Dates: January 18–20, 2026
Host city: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre (Za’abeel Halls 1, 4, 5 and 6), held as part of the World of Coffee Dubai trade show.
Organizer(s): Organized by DXB LIVE, the integrated event management and experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre, in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), with support from the SCA UAE Chapter.
Overview
The event marked the opening of the 2026 World Coffee Championships season in the Middle East, with Dubai selected as the debut host city for the Cezve/Ibrik Championship — a competition built around one of the world’s oldest brewing traditions. The cezve, also called an ibrik, is a small, long-handled pot with a distinctive flared rim, traditionally made from copper, brass, or ceramic, and used across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Competitors were invited to blend technical precision with personal and cultural expression in their performances. The 2026 edition of World of Coffee Dubai, held alongside the championships, was billed as the largest in the show’s history since its launch in 2022.
Results
After two days of first-round performances, three competitors advanced to the final: Angel Kotsifakis representing Greece, Wael Hachem representing France, and Jane Espante representing the United Arab Emirates.
Following the final round on January 20, Jane Espante, representing the United Arab Emirates, was named the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Champion — the title being announced live on the World of Coffee Dubai stage. The final rankings were:
- Jane Espante — United Arab Emirates (Champion)
- Angel Kotsifakis — Greece (Runner-up)
- Wael Hachem — France (Third place)
Her win was notable as a host-nation victory in a competition rooted in Middle Eastern brewing heritage. Espante’s win followed three consecutive French victories in the Cezve/Ibrik Championship — by Charles Boyenval in 2025, Jordan Tachnakian in 2024, and Pierre de Chantérac in 2023.
Unreported Details
Official WCC sources do not publicly disclose a monetary prize figure, the specific coffee or equipment used in Espante’s winning routine, an official numerical score, or the exact total number of competitors and countries represented; these figures were not available in the sources reviewed.
See Also
- 2026 World Latte Art Championship
- 2026 World Brewers Cup
- 2026 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship
- 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship (WCTC)
- 2026 World Coffee Roasting Championship
References
- World Coffee Championships — “Dubai World Coffee Championships | January 2026,” wcc.coffee
- World Coffee Championships — “Announcing the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Champion,” wcc.coffee
- World Coffee Championships — “Introducing the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship Finalists!,” wcc.coffee
- World Coffee Championships — “World of Coffee Dubai to Host the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship,” wcc.coffee
- BeanScene Magazine — “2026 World Coffee Championships season to open in Dubai,” beanscenemag.com.au
- Comunicaffe International — “Jane Espante is the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Champion,” comunicaffe.com
- Perfect Daily Grind — “What’s happening at World of Coffee Dubai 2026?,” perfectdailygrind.com
- Coffee Magazine — “World of Coffee Dubai 2026 to Present Its Most Diverse Global Origin Line-Up,” magazine.coffee
- Dubai World Trade Centre — “World of Coffee Dubai 2026” event listing, dwtc.com
- Qahwa World — “World of Coffee Dubai to Host the 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship,” qahwaworld.com