Browsing: Nations

Nations book their places at London 2026!

October 20, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Players across the globe are celebrating after helping their nations to book a place at next year’s ITTF World Team Championships in London!

A total of 52 nations – plus hosts England have now secured their spots at the iconic centenary edition of the Championships, via continental championships around the world.

All that is missing is the identity of the remaining 11 teams in each gender who will next month secure a place via the team world rankings lists.

There were 16 spots in each gender available via both the Asian Championships and European Championships, with eight in each of the African and American Championships.

The ITTF Oceania Championships took place earlier this year, with Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Tahitiâ€s menâ€s teams earning their spots, as did Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Cook Islands in the womenâ€s competitions.

Here’s who will be on the plane to London next April!

Asia

Powerhouse China lead the list of 16 Asian nations to qualify for the centenary ITTF World Team Championships 2026 in London.

Both the menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are defending champions and therefore did not need to qualify for London, but both took their customary continental titles at the Asia Championships in Bhubaneswar, India.

Among the other nations to qualify both menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are Japan, South Korea, India, Chinese Taipei, North Korea and Malaysia (pictured above).

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
China (reigning world champions)
Regional champions:Bahrain (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Mongolia, Uzbekistan

Women
China (reigning champions)
Regional champions:Syria (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships:Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Macau, Mongolia

Although China winning both continental titles is not a surprise, the menâ€s team had an almighty scare in an incredible semi-final against Japan.

Every match went to five games and China had to come from 2-0 down to take their place in the final. Tomokazu Harimoto (WR 4) put Japan in front by beating Liang Jingkun 12-10, 11-13, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9 and Sora Matsushima (WR 16) then sunk world No 1 Wang Chuqin 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7.

World No 2 Lin Shidong started the comeback as he beat Hiroto Shinozuka (WR 31) 12-14, 11-2, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6 and Wang then beat Harimoto 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8.

World No 7 Liang then clinched the gold as he came from 2-1 down to beat Matsushima 8-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-3. China went on to defeat Hong Kong 3-0 in the final.

In contrast, Chinaâ€s women came through to take the title without dropping a game, culminating in a 3-0 win over Japan in the final.

Europe

blankSpain celebrate their qualification

France women’s 3-0 victory over Slovenia in the play-off for 17th position on Thursday night earned them the final qualifying spot.

With England finishing inside the top 16 but not needing to qualify, as host nation for London 2026, 17th place also earned a spot.

Third seeds France had a disastrous group stage, with defeats to both France and Netherlands consigning them to the play-offs. But victories over Wales, Turkey and Slovenia, all 3-0, meant they salvaged their tournament.

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Turkey.

Women
Germany, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Czechia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Ukraine, Spain, England, Serbia, France

Pan-America

Argentina beat the USA 3-2 to win the men’s final, while it was a 3-1 victory for Puerto Rico over the Americans in the women’s final.

Kanak Jha won his two matches in the final 3-2, but Argentina trio Horacio Cifuentes, Francisco Sanchi and Santiago Lorenzo won one each to clinch the title for their nation.

In the women’s final, Adriana Diaz inspired Puerto Rico to take the crown, winning her two matches – including against USA spearhead Lily Zhang, to add to one win for Brianna Burgos.

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, Guatemala, Chile

Women
Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, Argentina, Guatemala

Africa

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
Egypt, Benin, Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo, Madagascar, Morocco

Women
Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Algeria, Tunisia, Uganda, South Africa

Source link

How Jeffrey Kang, once nation’s best junior, overcame driver yips to earn long-awaited PGA Tour card

When Jeffrey Kang was in college at the University of Southern California, he’d sometimes earn some extra cash by helping head coach Chris Zambri with his junior golf clinics. For Zambri, it was simple: He’d point at Kang, one of the most decorated recruits in program history, and say to the kids, “This is what it takes.â€

If only Kang knew then just how much it would take.

Kang’s long and winding road to the PGA Tour culminated last Sunday in French Lick, Indiana, where the 34-year-old prodigy turned journeyman ended the Korn Ferry Tour Championship ranked 14th in points and grabbed one of 20 available cards for 2026.

“It took a lot of patience, a lot of self-talk, just believing in myself and trusting that it was all going to work out in the end. It’s been tough, but this is why we do it,†said Kang, who in the aftermath of the card ceremony was, like most everybody else, not only soaking up the moment but also in champagne and Michelob Ultra.

“I’m just really happy I stuck it out.â€

What has proven an arduous journey began in Fullerton, California, just outside of Los Angeles, where it all once came easy and where Kang developed into a standout not only at Sunny Hills High but nationally. Student-athletes of Kang’s ilk – talented, smart and from the West Coast – usually matriculated to Stanford. But when Kang verbally committed to the Trojans, Zambri was so content with his Class of 2010 haul, which also included another AJGA All-American in Ramsey Sahyoun, that he didn’t care that it meant a kid by the name of Patrick Cantlay heading to crosstown-rival UCLA. Cantlay would win the Haskins Award, given to the best player in the nation, as a freshman. But Kang had done alright, too, an all-Pac-10 selection his first year and All-American honorable mention the following season, which included a playoff victory over Jordan Spieth in Hawaii. Midway through college, however, Kang’s prospects veered quickly.

“It was the lowest I’ve still ever been,†Kang said of the driver yips that debilitated him for large swaths of his final two years in school and beyond.

There were two misses: a ball that started 7 degrees right and ended up off the planet, and then the massive overcorrection. It didn’t really matter the club, either.

“And over time, it made his swing hub very unstable,†said instructor Dana Dahlquist, who worked about seven years with Kang after graduation. “I described it as a motorcycle not able to go through the turns.â€

USC-2012-13-Kang.jpg

Kang never missed a round for the Trojans as a junior or senior, though that was more indicative of the state of those USC rosters. The situation got so dire for Kang that Zambri, known for meticulously testing his players during his career (he’s now the head coach of the U.S. National Development Program), exempted Kang from such practice mandates, hoping that Kang, still one of the hardest workers to come through USC, could solve things on his own. Kang nearly won in Hawaii his senior spring before Oklahoma State’s Jordan Niebrugge sped past him late, but that was a rare bright spot in an otherwise frustrating semester. The Trojans placed dead last by eight shots at the 2014 NCAA Championship at Prairie Dunes, and Kang, in his last college event, tied for 150th, beating just five players.

“A lot of guys have stepped away from the game because of this,†Kang said. “But I always knew I was going to get over the hump, and I never doubted my ability.â€

With Dahlquist’s help, Kang changed his wrist conditions and how he releases the club, and eventually he went from a guy too afraid to commit to a line because he didn’t know what would “come out of the gun†to someone who had begun to not only manage his driving anxiety but reprogram his path to PGA Tour-level golf.

It took Kang a couple years to earn any status, and then he missed seven cuts and posted just one top-50 showing on PGA Tour Canada in 2016. He headed to Asia that next year, finding a home on PGA Tour China, where he won in his debut. But the pandemic shuttered that tour and left Kang again with nowhere to play. He didn’t log a world-ranked start for nearly 20 months.

“COVID derailed everything,†Kang said. “I was on the up and then I’m sidelined. I couldn’t get anywhere. Just surviving was an achievement. So, I had to restart a little bit, but looking back that’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was a forced break mentally to refresh me and allow me to start from the bottom, stick to a game plan and get to where I need to be. It was a blessing in disguise.â€

During that sabbatical, Kang reconnected with a high-school friend, Josh Park, an up-and-coming coach, during some mini-tour events in Arizona. They’d spend hours on end talking about golf, and eventually Park joined Kang’s stable. Along with Dahlquist and Dr. Scott Lynn, Park got Kang using the ground more effectively, specifically pushing off earlier to get the club to release earlier. His tee ball continued to improve.

“He, along with all of us, knew that if kept that driver on the hole he was supposed to play, then he would one day end up on the PGA Tour,†said Park, who started working full-time with Kang about two years ago.

Kang played mostly on PGA Tour Canada, and the temporary Forme Tour, from 2021 to 2023, notching 10 top-10s, including three runners-up. While sprinkling in a few PGA Tour starts via Monday qualifying, he medaled at the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School in 2023 and earned his KFT card for the first time last year. But 14 missed cuts in 24 starts left him No. 81 in points, and he’d begin this season with conditional status before rattling off three missed cuts in his first four events.

Then, finally, the breakthrough: A T-3 finish at the Visit Knoxville Open jumpstarted Kang’s season, and he added a pair of solo seconds late, at the NV5 Invitational and Albertsons Boise Open, to enter the KFT Finals inside the top 20. When he tied for fourth in Columbus, Ohio, he’d essentially locked up his card with two events left. Sure, he finished this season ranked No. 133 in total driving, but as the tour’s third-best putter and one of the best wedge players Park has ever seen, that was enough to get him to the PGA Tour.

Park says that Kang, armed with his USC degree, could’ve been successful in anything outside of golf, but “he never quit when most of us would have.†The sun setting on a dream day in southern Indiana, and Post Malone’s “Congratulations†blaring in the background, Kang credited people like Park and his girlfriend, Ji, for keeping him going.

Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation.
They ain’t never had the dedication.
People hatin’, say we changed and look, we made it.
Yeah, we made it.

“He persevered through some really hard times, and I just have so much respect for that,†said Zambri, who traveled to watch Kang compete in Raleigh, North Carolina, this year. “Not everyone gets to keep pursuing until they’re in their 30s. He was fortunate, but he made the most of it. And I hope it continues to work out for him. It’s not easy to go from where he was to get back in the middle of it all.

“I’m hoping he has like a Tom Lehman type of career.â€

Lehman played a few seasons on the PGA Tour right out of college but with little success. It then took him nearly a decade to regain his card. What followed was an almost two-decade second stint on the PGA Tour, where he won five times, including the Open Championship and Tour Championship in 1996, and made three Ryder Cup teams.

Kang will take that.

Asian nations book their places at London 2026!

October 16, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Powerhouse China lead the list of 16 Asian nations to qualify for the centenary ITTF World Team Championships 2026 in London.

Both the menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are defending champions and therefore did not need to qualify for London, but both took their customary continental titles at the Asia Championships in Bhubaneswar, India.

Among the other nations to qualify both menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are Japan, South Korea, India, Chinese Taipei, North Korea and Malaysia (pictured above).

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
China (reigning world champions)
Regional champions:Bahrain (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Mongolia, Uzbekistan

Women
China (reigning champions)
Regional champions:Syria (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships:Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Macau, Mongolia

Although China winning both continental titles is not a surprise, the menâ€s team had an almighty scare in an incredible semi-final against Japan.

Every match went to five games and China had to come from 2-0 down to take their place in the final. Tomokazu Harimoto (WR 4) put Japan in front by beating Liang Jingkun 12-10, 11-13, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9 and Sora Matsushima (WR 16) then sunk world No 1 Wang Chuqin 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7.

World No 2 Lin Shidong started the comeback as he beat Hiroto Shinozuka (WR 31) 12-14, 11-2, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6 and Wang then beat Harimoto 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8.

World No 7 Liang then clinched the gold as he came from 2-1 down to beat Matsushima 8-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-3. China went on to defeat Hong Kong 3-0 in the final.

In contrast, Chinaâ€s women came through to take the title without dropping a game, culminating in a 3-0 win over Japan in the final. The team tournaments at the continental championships in Africa and the Americas will finish on Sunday, with eight nations in each gender from each continent earning a place at London 2026.

Source link

Asian and European nations book their places at London 2026!

October 16, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

The continental championships currently taking place around the world will see a total of 52 teams book their places at next year’s ITTF World Team Championships in London.

There are 16 spots in each gender available via both the Asian Championships and European Championships, with eight in each of the African and American Championships.

The ITTF Oceania Championships has already taken place, with Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and Tahitiâ€s menâ€s teams earning their spots, as did Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Cook Islands in the womenâ€s competitions.

The team tournaments at the continental championships in Africa and the Americas will finish on Sunday. The remaining 12 places at London 2026 go to England as hosts, plus 11 places from the world team rankings.

Asia

Powerhouse China lead the list of 16 Asian nations to qualify for the centenary ITTF World Team Championships 2026 in London.

Both the menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are defending champions and therefore did not need to qualify for London, but both took their customary continental titles at the Asia Championships in Bhubaneswar, India.

Among the other nations to qualify both menâ€s and womenâ€s teams are Japan, South Korea, India, Chinese Taipei, North Korea and Malaysia (pictured above).

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
China (reigning world champions)
Regional champions:Bahrain (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships: Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Qatar, Mongolia, Uzbekistan

Women
China (reigning champions)
Regional champions:Syria (west Asia), Kazakhstan (central Asia), India (south Asia)
Via continental championships:Japan, Singapore, South Korea, North Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Iran, Sri Lanka, Macau, Mongolia

Although China winning both continental titles is not a surprise, the menâ€s team had an almighty scare in an incredible semi-final against Japan.

Every match went to five games and China had to come from 2-0 down to take their place in the final. Tomokazu Harimoto (WR 4) put Japan in front by beating Liang Jingkun 12-10, 11-13, 13-11, 9-11, 11-9 and Sora Matsushima (WR 16) then sunk world No 1 Wang Chuqin 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-7.

World No 2 Lin Shidong started the comeback as he beat Hiroto Shinozuka (WR 31) 12-14, 11-2, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6 and Wang then beat Harimoto 8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 13-15, 11-8.

World No 7 Liang then clinched the gold as he came from 2-1 down to beat Matsushima 8-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-4, 11-3. China went on to defeat Hong Kong 3-0 in the final.

In contrast, Chinaâ€s women came through to take the title without dropping a game, culminating in a 3-0 win over Japan in the final.

Europe

blankSpain celebrate their qualification

France women’s 3-0 victory over Slovenia in the play-off for 17th position on Thursday night earned them the final qualifying spot.

With England finishing inside the top 16 but not needing to qualify, as host nation for London 2026, 17th place also earned a spot.

Third seeds France had a disastrous group stage, with defeats to both France and Netherlands consigning them to the play-offs. But victories over Wales, Turkey and Slovenia, all 3-0, meant they salvaged their tournament.

The full list of qualifying nations is:

Men
France, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Denmark, Poland, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Turkey.

Women
Germany, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Croatia, Slovakia, Austria, Czechia, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Ukraine, Spain, England, Serbia, France

Source link

Hockey

4 Nations fun, Stanley Cup run prominently featured in new season of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL

The new season of Prime Videoâ€s behind-the-scenes hockey series FACEOFF: Inside the NHL dropped on Friday.

Florida Panthers fans are going to enjoy a lot of what the new season has to offer.

While there are fun Panthers tidbits that can be seen throughout, there are some key episodes that focus much of their runtime on Panthers-related content.

First, Episode 1 features the life of Ottawa Senators star forward Brady Tkachuk on and off the ice.

Much of it focuses on his time at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he and his brother, Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk, were key elements of the Team USA squad that came within an overtime goal of winning the tournament.

The injury suffered by the elder Tkachuk was also a main point of emphasis in this episode.

Another episode that Panthers fans are going to love is the final one, Episode 6.

That one is all about the Cats and their quest for a second straight Stanley Cup, and it give the same incredible, in-depth access that we received during the first season of FACEOFF.

Similarly to last year, we get some great micâ€d up moments from the players, including another frustrated Oilers screaming moment in their locker room and some great bytes from Panthers Head Coch Paul Maurice.

No surprise there.

Let us know in the comments below which moments were your favorites from the new season of FACEOFF!

LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS – FLORIDA

Penalties consume Panthers preseason-ending win over Tampa; Aaron Ekblad leaves game early

‘It was a no-brainer’: Niko Mikkola latest Panthers player to take long-term, team friendly deal

The Hockey Show: Discussing fallout from Sasha Barkov injury, Kirill Kaprizov signing massive extension

Panthers Claim Cole Schwindt From Golden Knights

Panthers’ A.J. Greer Receives Maximum Fine

Photo caption: Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) and Team Canada forward brandon Hagel (38) fight in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)

Source link

Football

2026 World Cup: Fifa likely to schedule matches featuring European nations after midnight UK time

Fifa are likely to schedule World Cup matches involving major European nations after midnight UK time next year in an effort to combat heat issues that affected the recent Club World Cup.

It had been anticipated World Cup kick-off times would mirror those at the Club World Cup, when the earliest games started at 17:00 BST, followed by 20:00, 23:00 and 02:00.

However, while 17:00 and 20:00 would suit European broadcasters, the former would be a midday kick-off on the United States east coast and the latter a midday kick-off on the west coast.

Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique complained about his team having to play in near 40 degree heat in their Club World Cup opener against Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles, which started at 12:00 local time.

Numerous coaches and players were affected by the heat and humidity, with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez complaining of dizziness while playing.

Asked during his speech at the Leaders Conference in Twickenham for the major lessons learned from the Club World Cup, Victor Montagliani, who as president of the North and Central American Confederation Concacaf is in charge of the event, replied: “Kick-off times.”

With 48 teams at the World Cup, there are 11 consecutive days in the group phase that have four games, each played at different times, when 12:00 kick-offs were expected to be commonplace.

While five of the 16 stadiums being used in the United States, Canada and Mexico either have roofs as standard or a sliding roof that can offer shade, it is impractical for all the early kick-offs to be scheduled in them.

When pressed to expand on his comments, Montagliani, who is also a vice-president of world governing body Fifa, said: “Kick-off times are always an issue in our region because summers are hot in Canada and US.

“We’re having conversations daily with European media and other world media, in terms of what’s best and which are the stadiums that you can play at 3pm. That’s all in the mix now.

“Once the actual schedule comes out after the draw, we will do our best to ensure it’s taken into consideration. Will it be that every game will be absolutely perfect from a kick-off time, from a TV perspective? I don’t know.”

Source link