The 2026 World Cup Tasters Championship (WCTC) was the annual global competition testing coffee professionals’ sensory precision, speed, and accuracy in distinguishing subtle taste differences between coffees. The event was staged in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the World of Coffee Bangkok trade show.
Key Facts
The 2026 edition of the World Cup Tasters Championship was held May 7–9, 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in the Bangna district. It formed part of the wider World of Coffee Bangkok trade show, the third time the World of Coffee event had been held in Asia, following editions in Busan (2024) and Jakarta (2025).
The championship itself was organized by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) through its World Coffee Championships (WCC) program, with local hosting duties carried out by the Barista Association of Thailand; the broader World of Coffee Bangkok show was organized by Exporum Inc.
Forty-six competitors took part, each a national or regional champion representing their own Competition Body. The field spanned all six inhabited continents, with cuppers traveling from countries including Vietnam, Switzerland, the United States, Japan, Thailand, South Africa, and Australia, among many others.
After advancing through Preliminary, Quarter-Final, and Semi-Final rounds, the top four competitors met in the Finals on the third day.
Winners
- Le Quang Cuong, known as “Nicky,” representing the Competition Body of Vietnam, won the competition, the country’s first-ever WCTC title.
- Catherine Queiroz of Switzerland came in second.
- Mehmet Sogan of the United States took the third position.
- Mizuki Tagami of Japan finished fourth.
Nicky secured the title by correctly identifying seven of eight triangulations in the Finals round, in a time of 3 minutes 35 seconds.
No prize amount was publicly disclosed by the organizers. There was no single “winning coffee,” as the WCTC format has all competitors taste from a standardized, undisclosed set of coffees prepared identically for fairness rather than crowning a signature bean tied to the champion.
Likewise, there is no “winning equipment” in the conventional sense, since WCTC is a sensory-judging format rather than a brewing competition; official competition equipment was instead supplied by event sponsors, including title sponsor Porland (tableware), Bluewater (water filtration), and Cosori (the Juni brewer).
About the Format
WCTC tests a competitor’s palate under time pressure. In each round, cuppers face eight “triangles” of three cups — two identical coffees and one differing cup — and must identify the odd cup as quickly as possible. The field is narrowed through Preliminary, Quarter-Final, and Semi-Final rounds before the top four meet in the Finals.
See Also
- 2026 World Latte Art Championship
- 2026 World Coffee Roasting Championship
- 2026 World Brewers Cup
- 2026 Cezve/Ibrik Championship
- 2026 World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship
References
- World Coffee Championships (wcc.coffee) – “Congratulations to the 2026 World Cup Tasters Champion, Le Quang Cuong (Nicky)”
- World Coffee Championships (wcc.coffee) – “World Cup Tasters Championship” event page
- BeanScene Magazine – “2026 World Cup Tasters Champion crowned in Thailand”
- VOV.VN (Voice of Vietnam) – “Vietnam wins World Cup Tasters Championship for first time”
- Sprudge – “Le Quang Cuong (Nicky) Of Vietnam Is The 2026 World Cup Tasters Champion”
- Bangkok Post – “World Of Coffee 2026 coming to Bitec”
- Comunicaffe International – “World of Coffee Bangkok 2026 to debut on Thursday”
- Coffee Magazine (South Africa) – “SA Cup Tasters Champion heads to World Champs in Thailand”