The final round of the 2026 World Barista Championship (WBC) is set in Panama City, where six national champions will compete for the global title. The competition's final stage takes place on October 25 during the World of Coffee Panama event, marking the first time the championship has been hosted in Central America.
The six finalists who advanced from a semi-final field of 16 represent a global cross-section of the specialty coffee industry. The competitors are from Australia (Gabrel Tan), Canada (Jill Hoff), China (Pan Wei), Malaysia (Shing Win), Thailand (Jane Kawinnart), and the United Arab Emirates (Frederick Ruben). In their 15-minute final routines, each barista must prepare four espressos, four milk beverages, and four original signature drinks for a panel of judges.
This year's competition has highlighted notable coffees and innovative preparation methods. One finalist's routine, for example, utilized a washed Geisha from Finca Lérida in Boquete, Panama, alongside an anaerobic natural Kartika from Finca Ali in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The accompanying signature drink featured ingredients like koji-fermented tree tomato and cacao husk-infused water, demonstrating current trends in flavor development at the industry's highest competitive level.