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World C'ships 2026 to be held in October; U20 Worlds in Bratislava

Monday, December 8, 2025 - 07:56 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (December 8) -- United World Wrestling has officially confirmed the host city for the 2026 U20 World Championships and finalized the competition dates for the 2026 Senior World Championships.

In addition, the host for 2026 Asian Championships has also been shifted from Amman, Jordan to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Bratislava, Slovakia, has been selected to host the 2026 U20 World Championships. Bratislava had successfully hosted the 2025 European Championships in April with sellout stadium. The U20 World Championships in 2026 are scheduled to take place from August 17 to 23 and a similar crowd is expected for the competition.

UWW also confirmed the competition window for the 2026 Senior World Championships to be hosted in Manama, Bahrain, which was announced as hosts during a ceremony held in Zagreb in September.

The World Championships are set to run from October 24 to November 1, providing nine days of action featuring the world’s top wrestlers.

No Arab country has ever hosted a World Championships but Bahrain will etch its name in history with the 2026 edition.

"Bahrain has a superstar in wrestling," UWW President Nenad LALOVIC had said. "They probably want to use this opportunity to promote the sport through this superstar [Akhmed] TAZHUDINOV (BRN). But he's not the only one.

"They also want to develop the local Bahrain born athletes to compete because they have the role model of the top achievement in wrestling. This is something that we considered and that is why we made this decision."

The Asian Championships, originally scheduled in Amman will now be hosted by Bishkek from April 6 to 12.

The 2026 U15 & U20 Asian Championships have been moved from Bangkok to Pattaya.

The U17, U20 and senior African Championships will be held in Alexandria, Egypt from April 28 to May 3. In addition, the dates for the 2026 Pan-American Championships were also modified. The competition will now be held from May 7 to 10 in Coralville, Iowa, United States.

For the full 2026 calendar, visit uww.org/events.

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UWW Signs MoU with Smoothcomp for Grappling, Amateur MMA

Monday, May 18, 2026 - 07:04 By United World Wrestling Press

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CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (May 18) -- United World Wrestling (UWW) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Smoothcomp AB to collaborate in the areas of event management systems, competition software, and digital solutions for UWW Associated Styles, including Grappling, Pankration, and Amateur MMA.

The MoU was signed last week in Lausanne, Switzerland and in effect for 12 months from the date of signing.

It outlines the respective roles of both organizations and provides for UWW’s evaluation and potential use of Smoothcomp’s platform for event registration and competition management, as well as support for pilot events and development projects.

The agreement also includes the exploration of potential integration between Smoothcomp’s platform and UWW systems, including Athena and related tools.

About United World Wrestling:
United World Wrestling is the international governing body for the sport of wrestling, recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Headquartered in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland, UWW oversees Olympic wrestling disciplines, including Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and Women’s Wrestling, as well as associated styles such as Grappling, Pankration, Belt Wrestling, and Beach Wrestling. UWW works with national federations worldwide to promote, regulate, and develop the sport at all levels.

About Smoothcomp:
Smoothcomp AB is a Sweden-based provider of competition management software and digital solutions for combat sports and martial arts events. Its platform supports online registration, brackets, scheduling, live scoring, and event administration for organizers, athletes, coaches, and federations worldwide.