ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao 2025 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group
The ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao 2025 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group, sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), organized by the Sports Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) and World Table Tennis Management Group Limited (WTMG), and co-organized by the Macau Table Tennis General Association, will be held at the Galaxy Arena from 14 to 20 April. Tickets to the event on sale from 20 March.
A press conference was held by the organizers on 18 March to introduce the details and ticketing information about the event. The press conference was attended by the President of the Sports Bureau, Mr. Luís Gomes; Director of Corporate Affairs of GEG, Mr. Buddy Lam; Chairman of the Macau Table Tennis General Association, Mr. João Ma Chi Tat; and members of the Sports Committee. ITTF Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Steve Dainton and Secretary General Mr. Raul Calin also delivered a video speech.
Sports Bureau President Mr. Luís Gomes said that Macao has hosted multiple large-scale international table tennis tournaments in recent years and successfully hosted the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup for the first time last year. These events have not only received enthusiastic support from Macao residents and tourists alike but have also created a global craze for the sport, showcasing Macao’s capability as a host city for international sporting events. The synergistic effects of large-scale events have propelled the development of Macao’s sports industry and driven economic growth in sports tourism and related sectors. This year, Macao is once again sanctioned by the ITTF to host this World Cup, which reflects their affirmation of Macao’s ability to run sports competitions and their high recognition of the city’s important role in the international sports arena.
Director of Corporate Affairs of Galaxy Entertainment Group Mr. Buddy Lam said that GEG is honored to be one of the organizers of the ITTF World Cup for the second consecutive year. With the high recognition and support from all sectors to last year’s event, the tournament will once again take place at Galaxy Arena this year. GEG will continue to work alongside other organizers to curate various extended activities, maximize the synergistic effects of “tourism + sports” and promote local sports engagement. By delivering one more world-class table tennis event to Macau, GEG aims to showcase the city’s strengths in the sports industry and its unique charm as a shining pearl.
Chief Executive Officer of ITTF Group Mr. Steve Dainton remarked that they are excited to be coming back to Macao for the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup for the second consecutive year, and to bring this prestigious event back to Macao is a wonderful moment. ITTF thanked the Macao SAR Government and the Sports Bureau, and is happy and proud to present matches in GEG’s massive and wonderful Galaxy Arena, seeing the best table tennis players from all over the world competing for the prestigious title of the World Cup in Macao 2025.
Secretary General of ITTF Mr. Raul Calin expressed that ITTF has a great confidence in Macao’s ability to host international sporting competitions. The World Cup Macao 2024 displayed a new design and a sports presentation, and the upcoming World Cup will bring together all the best players of the five continents, showcasing the highest level of competition.
World-leading players to gather in Macao
The ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao 2025 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group will feature 48 male and 48 female elite players who will vie for the championship in the city. The world-class lineup includes: Sun Yingsha, who is going to defend her title in the ITTF Women’s World Cup this year; national team members Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Lin Shidong, Lin Gaoyuan; Wang Manyu, Kuai Man, Chen Xingtong and Wang Yidi; Huang Youzheng (China) and Annett Kaufmann (Germany), the Under-19 Boys’ and Girls’ singles champions of the ITTF World Youth Championships; and players who have qualified through the Continental Cups and world ranking.
The event will be held in two stages. In Stage 1, players will be divided into 16 groups of 3 for round-robin group matches. The top four seeded players will be allocated to Groups 1 to 4; the remaining players will be drawn into the different groups using a modified snake system and players from the same Association will be drawn into separate groups. Each Stage 1 match will feature 4 games, and the player securing the top spot in each group will enter the knockout draw of Stage 2 featuring best-of-seven game matches.
The Stage 1 group matches from 14 to 16 April are divided into two sessions per day with the first session starting at 9:30 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m. For the knockout matches (the round of 16 on 17 April and the quarter-finals on 18 April), the first session will start at 11 a.m. and the second at 6 p.m. For the semi-finals on 19 April, the first session will start at 2 p.m. and the second at 7:30 p.m. The final will be held on 20 April at 7:30 p.m.
