World of Coffee 2026, the Specialty Coffee Association's flagship European event and the largest specialty coffee show on the continent, opened today, 25 June, at Brussels Expo. For the first time in its history, World of Coffee is being held in Belgium. The show runs through 27 June.
Day one began with the Official Opening Ceremony at 09:45, followed by the show floor opening at 10:00. Three World Coffee Championships are taking place in Brussels this year: the World Brewers Cup (manual brewing and storytelling — its first qualifying round ran today), the World Coffee Roasting Championship (roast profiling and skill), and World Coffee in Good Spirits (coffee and mixology). The World Barista Championship is not held here — that final takes place separately at World of Coffee Panama on 23–25 October 2026.
The opening day also featured the announcement of the 2026 Coffee Design Awards winners, Best New Product Awards judging, the SCA Lecture Series (including a public roundtable on coffee economics), the Cupping Rooms, the Green Coffee Connect sourcing area, the new Producer Village and Roaster Villages, and a full workshop programme on business, brewing, sustainability and sensory skills. This year's Portrait Country is Uganda, with dedicated programming on the show floor. In the afternoon, the "100 Best Coffee Shops in Europe" gala took place.
The SCA also confirmed the next European edition: World of Coffee Lisbon 2027, on 17–19 June 2027.