China once again proved why they remain the powerhouse of world table tennis, leaving London with both the men’s and women’s titles at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026.
On the centenary stage where the first World Championships were held 100 years ago, China lifted both the Swaythling Cup and Corbillon Cup once again after two memorable finals against Japan.
In the men’s event, China secured a 3-0 victory to claim a record 24th world title. The road to gold had not been entirely smooth, with rare defeats earlier in the tournament against Korea Republic and Sweden raising questions around the defending champions. But when the pressure was highest, China responded in trademark fashion.
LIANG Jingkun delivered one of the moments of the final by fighting back from 0-2 down against Tomokazu HARIMOTO, saving match point before completing a remarkable comeback victory. WANG Chuqin then extended the lead with a composed win over Sora MATSUSHIMA, before LIN Shidong finished the job against Shunsuke TOGAMI.
The women’s final brought even more drama. Japan pushed China to the edge and briefly looked capable of ending their long dominance after taking a 2-1 lead.
Teenager Miwa HARIMOTO gave Japan the perfect start with a stunning victory over WANG Manyu, her first ever win against the Chinese star. SUN Yingsha answered immediately by defeating Hina HAYATA, but Japan regained the advantage when defender Honoka HASHIMOTO overcame KUAI Man.
With the title slipping away, China once again found another level. Sun returned to produce a dominant straight-games win over HARIMOTO before WANG Manyu held her nerve in the deciding match against HAYATA to seal another world crown.
