WTT Extends Finals to Six Days and Cuts Mixed Doubles Field

World Table Tennis unveiled a package of format adjustments designed to ease match congestion and lower the physical burden on players heading into the WTT Finals. The organizing body extended the Finals schedule to six days and restructured Mixed Doubles into a strictly knockout format with a limited field, reported as an eight-team knockout. Officials cited multiple late-season withdrawals and injuries in 2025 as the primary motivation for the changes.

The most immediate impact is a reduction in the total number of matches each player can be required to play during the Finals. By narrowing the Mixed Doubles field and eliminating round-robin or group stages in that discipline, WTT intends to decrease overlapping match windows and provide more recovery time between high-intensity matches. Extending the overall timetable to six days gives tournament organizers more flexibility to space matches, which should benefit singles, doubles, and mixed doubles entrants alike.

These changes follow recent WTT discussions about broader scheduling and prize distribution adjustments, part of an ongoing effort to balance top-level competition with athlete health and career longevity. For players and national federations, the compressed Mixed Doubles entry list will change selection calculus and may alter strategic pairings for the season. Coaches and team managers will need to re-evaluate travel and practice plans now that the Finals format and schedule have shifted.

For spectators and broadcasters, a six-day Finals changes viewing windows and ticket planning. Expect revised session times, potential reshuffling of marquee matches, and updates to broadcast schedules as organizers finalize the new timetable. Event promoters and local clubs that coordinate watch parties or travel should update their arrangements to reflect the longer event window and the reduced mixed doubles lineup.

Check official World Table Tennis communications for the finalized schedule, qualification criteria, and prize distribution details as organizers publish them. The format changes are a clear signal that player welfare is increasingly shaping elite competition decisions, and anyone involved in the sport should verify entries, travel plans, and broadcast schedules in light of the new Finals format.