World Boccia are delighted to announce that Seoul, Korea, has won the right to host the 2026 World Boccia Championships! The World Boccia Championships is the highlight in the World Boccia’s calendar of events and takes place once every four years. The last World Boccia Championships was excellently hosted by Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 2022.
The Seoul 2026 World Boccia Championships will take place from 1st to 12th September in the iconic KSPO Dome. The KSPO Dome is located within the Olympic Park in Seoul and has a capacity of 15,000. It was constructed to host the gymnastics competitions at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games and will provide the perfect venue for boccia.
The World Boccia Bids Committee were very impressed with the overall submission from the Korean Boccia Federation, particularly their event communication plans and their proposed legacy. Highlights include technical innovations including a cutting-edge event app, and sporting and cultural programmes which will engage the wider community with a focus on local primary and middle school students.
Jon Morgan OBE, World Boccia President:
World Boccia is very excited to award the rights to host the World Boccia Championships 2026 to Seoul, Korea and we are very confident that this will be both a spectacular and hugely successful edition of the event.
We extend our warmest congratulations to the Korean Boccia Federation and their partners and very much look forward to working together to deliver a truly memorable experience for our athletes and fans, whilst also creating a lasting, impactful legacy for Korea and the wider global boccia community.
Marta Mascarenhas, Chair of World Boccia Bids Committee:
This was the most competitive bidding process ever for the right to host the World Boccia Championships, the most important event in our four-year calendar. It was a privilege to lead the Bids Committee through the candidate city evaluation process and we were impressed by the overall high standard of all the bid submissions. It was also important to be able to have the opportunity to visit the proposed sites of the two final candidate cities and we are grateful for their commitment and professionalism throughout the process.
On behalf of the Bids Committee, I would like to extend my thanks to our members for their excellent bids and for their commitment to boccia. I would also like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Korean Boccia Federation on being selected as the next Host Organising Committee for the 2026 World Boccia Championships. World Boccia is absolutely confident that they will raise the bar for the competition, supported by parallel initiatives that will elevate boccia to a new level of excellence.
Mr Sung-Hee Kang, President of the Korea Boccia Federation:
We are honoured to be hosting the 2026 World Boccia Championships in Seoul, South Korea. Our commitment to ensuring the success of this event remains steadfast. Thank you very much.
