The World Team Table Tennis Championships return to London this May, 100 years after the inaugural edition was held in the English capital in 1926. Hungary ruled the early decades of the sport. Now, a century later, a visibly weaker Chinese squad has opened the door for the first genuine upset since 2000.
"Perhaps for the first time since the year 2000, we have the best opportunity for somebody to upset team China," table tennis analyst Ash said in a video preview of the tournament. He pointed to the contrast between the current Chinese team and the one that swept Busan in 2024.
Two years ago in South Korea, China's trio of Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong and Ma Long was described by Ash as "basically an invincible trio." The 2026 squad is a very different proposition. Wang Chuqin remains the anchor, coming off a World Cup triumph in Macau and a World Championships title in 2025, but his compatriots do not project the same aura.
"His compatriots aren't going to hold the same kind of fear that Fan Zhendong and Ma Long would for the rest of the world," Ash said. Lin Shidong, still young and recovering from an injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, has "question marks still around his fitness," while the rest of the Chinese pool, including Xu Xin, Zhang Pong and Liang Jingkun, are described as good players who will not terrify the contenders.
"Liang Jingkun, for example, has been a very reliable player for China over the last few years, but he's not in great form," Ash added.
China remain favourites on paper. But the analysis points to France and Japan as the two most credible upset candidates, with the Lebrun brothers leading France's charge and Japan's young guns ready to strike. Sweden, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Germany are cited as solid but lacking the "X factor" required to topple the defending champions.
"It is very, very open this year," Ash concluded. "I think any one of those teams will feel like they have a chance."
The championships carry extra weight for England as hosts. Home team hopes will rest on Tom Jarvis, Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker on the men's side, with Liam Pitchford sidelined by injury. The women's lineup, led by the experienced Tin-Tin Ho, faces an uphill task against the Asian superpowers.
The men's team final remains the most unpredictable event of the year — and for the first time in a generation, a non-Chinese trophy lift is not unthinkable.