With one month to go until the prestigious ITTF Mixed Team World Cup 2024, the ITTF is delighted to unveil the 16 qualified teams that will battle for the Guoliang-Sörling Trophy in Chengdu, China, from 1-8 December 2024.
The elite lineup features a perfect blend of established powerhouses and emerging forces in world table tennis, representing five continents. Defending champions China will face stern competition on home soil as they aim to retain their crown from the inaugural 2023 edition.
The Competing Teams:
New Playing System
The tournament also features an innovative three-stage format. In Stage 1, the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four, where the highest-ranked teams are placed in different groups (1st in Group 1, 2nd in Group 2, 3rd in Group 3, and 4th in Group 4), with the remaining teams drawn two at a time in seeding order following a snake system. Each group will be played in a complete round-robin format.
In Stage 2, the top two teams from each Stage 1 group advances to form a single eight-team group. These teams then compete in another round-robin format, but with a strategic variation – teams that have already faced each other in Stage 1 won’t play again, with their previous results carrying forward. This innovative approach ensures fresh matchups while maintaining the significance of early tournament performances.
The competition culminates in Stage 3, where the stakes are at their highest. The top four teams from Stage 2’s standings qualify for the knockout phase, featuring both semi-finals and placement matches. The semi-final matchups are determined by ranking, with the first-placed team facing the fourth-placed team, whilst second plays third. Each team’s journey concludes with either the final or the bronze medal match, ensuring every podium position is determined through head-to-head competition.
This comprehensive format, totalling 52 matches across all stages (24 in Stage 1, 24 in Stage 2, and 4 in Stage 3), guarantees that the eventual champions must demonstrate both consistency through the round-robin phases and excellence in the knockout stage.
Each team match follows the following:
- The order of play shall be:
- Mixed doubles
- Women’s singles (player not playing mixed doubles)
- Men’s singles (player not playing mixed doubles)
- Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles/Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles*
- Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles/Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles* *The order of play for matches 4 & 5 shall be determined after the first match by the captain of the lower-ranked team
- All individual matches are played best-of-three games (result 3-0 or 2-1)
- Team matches end when one team accumulates 8 games
The Mixed Team World Cup represents a unique celebration of gender equality in table tennis, with each team featuring between three and four players of each gender. This format has already proven to be a hit with fans and players alike during last year’s inaugural event, combining men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches throughout the competition. With Chengdu’s state-of-the-art facilities ready to welcome these 16 exceptional teams, table tennis fans worldwide can look forward to a spectacular showcase of the sport’s finest talent this December.
