World Championships Senior
World Team Championships Rebranded as Karate World Cup
2024-06-24

The World Karate Federation (WKF) has announced that the World Team Championships will be denominated “Karate World Cup”. The decision, ratified by the WKF Executive Committee at the last meeting, marks a strategic move to enhance the event's recognition and clarity.
The change comes in the wake of the WKF's strategic plan to split the World Senior Championships into two separate events: individual and team. This division aimed to give each competition its own distinct identity, focusing on their unique characteristics, thus maximising the increasing popularity of the biggest event in the sport.
The new name, "Karate World Cup," is intended to avoid confusion and better represent the event's exclusive nature while underscoring the unique aspects of karate in team categories. The rebranding of the event also seeks to highlight the sporting spirit and anticipation of the tournament, which will see national teams in kata and kumite clashing for the world crown.
The first edition under the new name will be held in Pamplona, Spain, from November 22 to 24. This event will retain both denominations to facilitate the transition and avoid confusion among participants and fans. From the next edition in 2026, to be held in China, the event will exclusively be known as the Karate World Cup.
Moreover, the WKF Executive Committee agreed to rename the World Senior Individual Championships “Karate World Championships," thus simplifying the denomination of this event and elevating the prestige of the tournament while differentiating the event from the age-group World Championships, which maintains its name of World Cadet, Junior, & U21 Championships.
WKF President Antonio Espinós said:
"Renaming the World Team Championships to the Karate World Cup is a pivotal step in increasing the event's prestige and recognition. It reflects our commitment to promoting team competitions as distinct and equally important as individual events, while highlighting their many particularities and maximising opportunities for potential sponsors and fans.
“The rebranding also displays the WKF’s progress in marketing and communication matters and is part of a broader strategy to enhance the visibility and appeal of karate worldwide. This initiative echoes, once again, our pledge to take Karate to new and innovative heights, as it is expected to attract more media attention and sponsorship opportunities, further elevating the status of national team karate competitions.”
The upcoming Karate World Cup in Pamplona is set to be a spectacular event, attracting national teams from around the globe. The competition will showcase the best of team karate, highlighting the sport's strategic and collaborative aspects.