Event
WTT Youth Contender Lignano 2026
Lignano Sabbiadoro
10/21/2026
For the sixth consecutive year, Bella Italia Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro will host the WTT Youth Contender Lignano, organised by the Italian Table Tennis Federation, under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation – World Table Tennis, with the support of the Ministry for Sport and Youth and under the patronage of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Government and the City of Lignano Sabbiadoro. Stag Global is the technical sponsor.
The competitions will take place from Wednesday 21 to Tuesday 27 October, with 240 athletes (102 girls and 138 boys) from 35 countries across five continents (Australia, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Korea, Croatia, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, India, England, the Isle of Jersey, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of San Marino, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the United States, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Türkiye and Ukraine). They will compete in the boys’ and girls’ singles events in the Under 19, Under 17, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 age categories.
Italy will be represented by 87 players (37 girls and 50 boys), some selected by the national team coaching staff and others nominated by their respective clubs.
In the previous three editions of the event, Italy’s players won two gold medals, three silver medals and eleven bronze medals. The medal winners included Matilde Buzzoni and Pietro Campagna (one gold and one bronze each), Gioia Picu, Francesco Trevisan and Federico Vallino Costassa (one silver each), Danilo Faso and Nicole Arlia (two bronze medals each), and Claudia Bertolini, Amelia Buzzoni, Manon Loth, Sofia Minurri and Serena Rossati (one bronze each).
All of these players, with the exception of Arlia, Faso, Trevisan and Vallino Costassa, will be competing in Lignano Sabbiadoro. They will be joined by Edoardo Bartoli, Giorgio Borghese, Giulio Campagna, Jacopo Cipriano, Milena Faso, Giacomo Izzo, Erik Paulina, Jan Slavec, Sofia Episcopo and Candela Sanchi, who have also reached the podium in singles events on the WTT Youth Series circuit or at the European Youth Championships.
Among the international contenders to watch are American Kef Noorani, ranked No. 24 in the world Under 19 rankings and No. 16 in Under 17; Australia’s Constantina Psihogios, ranked No. 16 in the girls’ Under 19 rankings; and Spain’s Irina Gimeno, ranked No. 49 in girls’ Under 17.
In 2026, Noorani won both the Under 19 and Under 17 events in Monteria and San Francisco, as well as the Under 17 event in Spokane. In 2025, Psihogios claimed the Under 19 title in Senec and reached the finals in both the Under 19 and Under 17 events in Lignano and in the Under 17 event in Perth. Gimeno won in Platja d’Aro in 2026.
Other leading contenders include Spain’s Marcos Gomez, ranked No. 49 in the world Under 15 rankings, who won in Berlin and Sarajevo in 2026; Kazakhstan’s Zhaniya Bekmukhambetova, ranked No. 51 overall and No. 6 in the girls’ Under 13 rankings, who won the Under 13 events in Tashkent, Otocec and Tbilisi; and Italy’s Pietro Campagna, ranked No. 6 in Under 13, who claimed gold in Wladislawowo and Metz.
In the Under 11 category, Sri Lanka’s Taavi Samaraweera, ranked No. 2, will be looking to defend his Lignano title. He also won in Doha, Manama, Pristina and Otocec in 2026. Kazakhstan’s Adel Veber, ranked No. 42, will also be among the contenders after reaching the final in Manama.
The competition schedule will be divided into two parts. On Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October, the boys’ Under 13 and Under 17 singles events will take place, followed by the Under 11, Under 15 and Under 19 singles events on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October. Saturday 24 October will be a rest day. The girls’ competitions will then run from Sunday 25 to Tuesday 27 October, following the same schedule.
No players will receive direct entry into the main draws. All participants must compete in round-robin qualifying groups, with the top two players in each group advancing to the main draws. All matches will be played best of five games.
The event will be streamed live on the World Table Tennis YouTube channel.
For the sixth consecutive year, Bella Italia Village in Lignano Sabbiadoro will host the WTT Youth Contender Lignano, organised by the Italian Table Tennis Federation, under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation – World Table Tennis, with the support of the Ministry for Sport and Youth and under the patronage of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Government and the City of Lignano Sabbiadoro. Stag Global is the technical sponsor.
The competitions will take place from Wednesday 21 to Tuesday 27 October, with 240 athletes (102 girls and 138 boys) from 35 countries across five continents (Australia, Austria, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Korea, Croatia, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, India, England, the Isle of Jersey, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of San Marino, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the United States, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Türkiye and Ukraine). They will compete in the boys’ and girls’ singles events in the Under 19, Under 17, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 age categories.
Italy will be represented by 87 players (37 girls and 50 boys), some selected by the national team coaching staff and others nominated by their respective clubs.
In the previous three editions of the event, Italy’s players won two gold medals, three silver medals and eleven bronze medals. The medal winners included Matilde Buzzoni and Pietro Campagna (one gold and one bronze each), Gioia Picu, Francesco Trevisan and Federico Vallino Costassa (one silver each), Danilo Faso and Nicole Arlia (two bronze medals each), and Claudia Bertolini, Amelia Buzzoni, Manon Loth, Sofia Minurri and Serena Rossati (one bronze each).
All of these players, with the exception of Arlia, Faso, Trevisan and Vallino Costassa, will be competing in Lignano Sabbiadoro. They will be joined by Edoardo Bartoli, Giorgio Borghese, Giulio Campagna, Jacopo Cipriano, Milena Faso, Giacomo Izzo, Erik Paulina, Jan Slavec, Sofia Episcopo and Candela Sanchi, who have also reached the podium in singles events on the WTT Youth Series circuit or at the European Youth Championships.
Among the international contenders to watch are American Kef Noorani, ranked No. 24 in the world Under 19 rankings and No. 16 in Under 17; Australia’s Constantina Psihogios, ranked No. 16 in the girls’ Under 19 rankings; and Spain’s Irina Gimeno, ranked No. 49 in girls’ Under 17.
In 2026, Noorani won both the Under 19 and Under 17 events in Monteria and San Francisco, as well as the Under 17 event in Spokane. In 2025, Psihogios claimed the Under 19 title in Senec and reached the finals in both the Under 19 and Under 17 events in Lignano and in the Under 17 event in Perth. Gimeno won in Platja d’Aro in 2026.
Other leading contenders include Spain’s Marcos Gomez, ranked No. 49 in the world Under 15 rankings, who won in Berlin and Sarajevo in 2026; Kazakhstan’s Zhaniya Bekmukhambetova, ranked No. 51 overall and No. 6 in the girls’ Under 13 rankings, who won the Under 13 events in Tashkent, Otocec and Tbilisi; and Italy’s Pietro Campagna, ranked No. 6 in Under 13, who claimed gold in Wladislawowo and Metz.
In the Under 11 category, Sri Lanka’s Taavi Samaraweera, ranked No. 2, will be looking to defend his Lignano title. He also won in Doha, Manama, Pristina and Otocec in 2026. Kazakhstan’s Adel Veber, ranked No. 42, will also be among the contenders after reaching the final in Manama.
The competition schedule will be divided into two parts. On Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October, the boys’ Under 13 and Under 17 singles events will take place, followed by the Under 11, Under 15 and Under 19 singles events on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October. Saturday 24 October will be a rest day. The girls’ competitions will then run from Sunday 25 to Tuesday 27 October, following the same schedule.
No players will receive direct entry into the main draws. All participants must compete in round-robin qualifying groups, with the top two players in each group advancing to the main draws. All matches will be played best of five games.
The event will be streamed live on the World Table Tennis YouTube channel.
- Phone3482423174
- Emailfabio.paci@fitet.org
- AddressViale Centrale, 29, Lignano Sabbiadoro
- Price0 €
Telephone – Fabio Paci (Communications Department Coordinator): 348.2423174 Email – Fabio Paci (Communications Department Coordinator): fabio.paci@fitet.org Telephone – Roberto Levi (Press Officer): 335.5277692 Email – Roberto Levi (Press Office): ufficio.stampa@fitet.orge-mail - Fabio Paci (coordinatore Area Comunicazione): fabio.paci@fitet.org telephon - Roberto Levi (addetto stampa): 335.5277692 e-mail - Roberto Levi (addetto stampa): ufficio.stampa@fitet.org