Muscat – The preliminary rounds of the WTT Contender Muscat 2026 will get underway on Monday, marking the start of the prestigious international table tennis event hosted in the Sultanate of Oman. The tournament is organised by the Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) in cooperation with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and World Table Tennis (WTT).
The six-day championship will bring together nearly 200 men and women players representing 34 countries from across the globe, including Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Nepal, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Türkiye, the United States, Wales, Malaysia, Jordan, South Korea beside the hosts Oman. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, with all matches taking place at the main hall of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat.
The OTTA completed all technical and organisational preparations to host the event. These included upgrading the main competition hall, installing international-standard flooring and tables, enhancing lighting systems, ensuring high-speed internet connectivity and meeting all technical requirements. The organising committee went beyond the minimum standards approved by WTT, aiming to deliver an exceptional organisational edition, while all tournament committees worked closely to provide the best possible facilities for participating delegations and athletes.
Players and officials have been arriving in Muscat over the past few days through Muscat International Airport. The preliminary rounds will be held on Monday and Tuesday, while the main draw competition will start on Wednesday.
Players will compete across several categories – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles – with a total prize money of $100,000 on offer. Two dedicated warm-up and training halls have been allocated to ensure smooth match operations and optimal player readiness.
The championship will feature an impressive lineup of world-class stars, led by Lin Shidong of China, currently ranked World No. 2, alongside his compatriots Liang Jingkun (7) and Xiang Peng (11). Other top players include Benedikt Duda (12) and Patrick Franziska (21) of Germany, Darko Jorgic (14) of Slovenia, Kanak Jha (22) of the USA, Jonathan Groth (25) of Denmark, and Tomislav Pucar (27) of Croatia. In the women’s singles also, several top-ranked players including Shi Xunyao (13) of China, Cheng I-Ching (21) of Chinese Taipei, He Zhuojia (30) of China, Zeng Jian (37) of Singapore, Do Hoi Kem (40) of Hong Kong, Dina Meshref (42) of Egypt, and Linda Bergström (43) of Sweden are in action.
The tournament will also see the participation of several Oman national team players, including Muhannad al Balushi, Badar al Jassasi, Ahmed al Riyami, Mohammed al Mutawa, and Bilal al Rashdi, who are aiming to gain valuable international experience and improve their world rankings. The national squad has recently completed intensive training camps, focusing on technical drills, serve variations, spin control, tactical awareness, and match strategy.
