The 2026 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship (WCIGS) was held from June 25–27, 2026, in Brussels, Belgium, at the Brussels Expo. The event took place as part of World of Coffee Brussels 2026, marking the first time a World of Coffee event was hosted in Belgium.
Organizers
The championship was organized by the World Coffee Championships (WCC), operating under the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), and was presented by title sponsor Fo Food Products.
WCIGS is one of several disciplines under the World Coffee Championships umbrella, testing competitors’ ability to blend coffee with spirits into original beverages. The format includes a preliminary round split between a “Spirit Bar” segment — where competitors improvise drinks using randomly selected alcohol and ingredients — and a main-stage round requiring two hot and two cold coffee-and-alcohol drinks.
Competitors
Six highest-scoring competitors from the preliminary round advanced to the final, where each produced two Irish Coffees and two original coffee-and-spirit “designer drinks.”
Competitors represented multiple Competition Bodies from across the globe, though the total number of entrants and countries in the preliminary rounds was not publicly disclosed by the organizers.
The championship title was won by Andy Philein (also known by his Chinese name Liu Zhan Hong), representing the Competition Body of China. His winning routine was built around a “cosmos” theme, featuring a signature cold drink called “Saturn” and a reimagined Irish Coffee titled “Afterglow of the Cosmos.” Judges praised the balance, concept, and technical precision of his presentation.
The final standings were:
- Andy Philein – China
- Sion Wu – Chinese Taipei
- Akira Zushi – Japan
- Serene Yu – Australia
- Dmitrii Shkliarov – Indonesia
- Ricky Chan – Hong Kong SAR
No official cash prize amount or numeric final-round score was publicly disclosed by the WCC; the champion receives the title and trophy for the season.
The 2026 edition was notable for East Asia’s dominance of the podium, with China, Chinese Taipei, and Japan sweeping the top three positions — part of a broader trend that also saw Asian competitors succeed across the World Brewers Cup and World Coffee Roasting Championship, held concurrently in Brussels.
See Also
- 2026 World Latte Art Championship
- World Brewers Cup
- 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship
- 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship
- World Coffee Roasting Championship
References
- World Coffee Championships — wcc.coffee/latest-news/vz4ho5faj5ghuo5pxadedfbgfp35fz — “Introducing the 2026 World Coffee In Good Spirits Champion, Andy Philein!” (June 2026)
- Barista Magazine — baristamagazine.com/highlights-from-world-of-coffee-brussels-2026-part-two — “Highlights from World of Coffee Brussels 2026: Part Two” (July 9, 2026)
- Sprudge — sprudge.com/three-new-world-coffee-champions-were-just-crowned-1101834.html — “Three New World Coffee Champions Were Just Crowned”
- Comunicaffe International — comunicaffe.com/wcc-in-brussels-china-malaysia-and-belgium-on-top-of-the-world — “World Coffee Championships in Brussels: China, Malaysia and Belgium on top of the world”
- Perfect Daily Grind — perfectdailygrind.com/2026/07/coffee-news-recap-3-july-2026 — “Coffee News Recap, 3 Jul: New World Coffee Champs crowned in Brussels, arabica prices see largest gains in four years & other stories” (July 3, 2026)
- Fresh Cup Magazine — freshcup.com/coffee-news-club-week-of-july-6 — “Coffee News Club: Week of July 6”
- The Basic Barista — thebasicbarista.com/en-us/blogs/other/world-of-coffee-brussels-meet-the-2026-world-coffee-champions — “World of Coffee Brussels – Meet the 2026 World Coffee Champions”
- World of Coffee Europe — europe.worldofcoffee.org/brussels-world-coffee-championships — “2026 World Coffee Championships Brussels”