World of Coffee 2026, the Specialty Coffee Association's flagship European event, wrapped up on 27 June at Brussels Expo — the first time the show was held in Belgium — and crowned three new world champions.
In the World Brewers Cup, Nas Jaafar of Malaysia took the title, reported to be the first competitor from Malaysia to win the championship. He prevailed over a finals field that included representatives from Australia, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, South Korea and France. The World Brewers Cup focuses entirely on manual, hand-brewed coffee, judged on craft, technical precision and presentation.
The World Coffee Roasting Championship went to Benjamin Brassart of Belgium — a home win for the host country — recognising excellence in green-coffee evaluation, blending and roast profiling. In the World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship, which bridges coffee and mixology, Andy Philein of China was crowned champion.
The three-day show also named the winners of the Best New Product Awards and the Coffee Design Awards, and spotlighted Uganda as its Portrait Country with dedicated programming on the show floor.
Note that the World Barista Championship was not contested in Brussels; that final takes place separately at World of Coffee Panama on 23–25 October 2026.
Looking ahead, the SCA confirmed that the event returns to Europe as World of Coffee Lisbon 2027, on 17–19 June 2027 at the Lisbon Exhibition and Congress Centre (FIL), where the World Latte Art Championship, World Coffee in Good Spirits Championship and Cezve/Ibrik Championship will be staged.