Rotterdam Hosts 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships

Rotterdam, Netherlands, will host the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships from October 17-25, bringing together leading athletes from around the world to compete for team, all-around and apparatus titles. The championships will also begin the qualification process for the LA28 Olympic Games, with the three medal-winning teams in both the men's and women's competitions securing Olympic team quota places.

According to Olympics.com, the competition opens October 17 with qualifying rounds running through October 19. Team finals are scheduled for October 20 and 21, followed by the men's and women's all-around finals on October 22 and 23. Apparatus finals will conclude the championships on October 24 and 25.

The 54th FIG Artistic World Gymnastics Championships will take place at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena, marking the third time the Dutch city has hosted the event. Inside Gymnastics Magazine identified Olympic champions, returning world champions and emerging athletes as key figures in the competition.

Brazil's Rebeca Andrade is set to return to the global championships stage for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Andrade became the first Brazilian woman to win Olympic gold in artistic gymnastics despite suffering three anterior cruciate ligament tears during her career.

Angelina Melnikova of the individual neutral athlete delegation enters the competition as the reigning women's all-around world champion. According to Inside Gymnastics Magazine, she returned to international competition in 2025 after a four-year absence and won five medals at the 2026 European Championships, including gold in the team, all-around and vault events.

Algeria's Kaylia Nemour is another leading contender. The Paris 2024 Olympic uneven bars champion and 2025 world champion on the apparatus recorded a 57.750 all-around score at the Mediterranean Games in September, according to Inside Gymnastics Magazine. The publication also reported that she achieved a difficulty score of 7.4 on uneven bars in 2026.

China's Ke Qinqin and Japan's Aiko Sugihara are also among the athletes expected to challenge for women's titles. Sugihara won the 2025 world floor exercise championship, while Canada's Ellie Black is preparing for her ninth World Championships. Dutch gymnast Sanne Wevers, the 2016 Olympic balance beam champion, is scheduled to compete at her 11th World Championships.

The United States will field a women's team featuring Skye Blakely, Charleigh Bullock, Hezly Rivera, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease. Blakely is the only member of the squad with previous World Championships experience, while Rivera was part of the U.S. team that won Olympic gold at Paris 2024.

Inside Gymnastics Magazine reported that Esponda enters the competition with a floor exercise difficulty score of 6.2. Pease recorded a 56.700 all-around score at the recent World Team Selection Event, while the American squad will pursue an eighth consecutive world team title.

In the men's competition, Japan's Daiki Hashimoto and Shinnosuke Oka headline the all-around field. Hashimoto won Olympic all-around gold at Tokyo 2020 and has claimed three world all-around titles in 2022, 2023 and 2025, according to Inside Gymnastics Magazine. Oka won the Olympic all-around title at Paris 2024.

The Japanese gymnasts are expected to face a strong challenge from China. However, Inside Gymnastics Magazine reported that China's Zhang Boheng, the 2021 world all-around champion and runner-up at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, withdrew from the competition because of a leg injury.

The men's field also includes Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, an Olympic floor exercise and vault champion who won the 2025 world vault title. Great Britain will bring a strong men's squad featuring Jake Jarman, Harry Hepworth and Joe Fraser, while the U.S. men's and women's teams will combine experienced competitors with newcomers.

The championships will use the theme Building Bridges, celebrating connections among people, generations and cultures through elite competition and community activities. According to Olympics.com, viewers in the United States will be able to watch the finals through NBC's family of networks, including Peacock.