September 14, 2026

The Netherlands Win the 2026 WBGF World Team Championship

The Netherlands are the new world team champions of backgammon. The World Backgammon Federation (WBGF) confirmed the result in mid-September, after the 2026 World Team Championship was played in London, United Kingdom.

A world event in London

The team championship and the World Women's Team Championship were scheduled for August 24–26, 2026, followed by the WBGF World Individual Championship on August 27–30. The UK Backgammon Federation hosted the week at the Mercure Earls Court hotel, after WBGF member nations voted for the British bid. The organizers planned a playing hall for up to 300 players, with the Mind Sports Olympiad running in the same venue.

In the team format, nations field a squad and each round is decided by the individual matches between team members. Local coverage gave a taste of the action: Cyprus, for example, beat Turkey 4–1 in one of the mid-week rounds.

The champions

The Dutch squad listed by the WBGF was Christian Sörensen, Misja Alma, Paul van Dijke, Paulus van Rooijen, Rogier van Gemert, Rolf Schreuder and captain Peter van Rooij. On the way to the title, the Netherlands knocked out the United States in the quarterfinals, according to the U.S. federation's match tracker. In the women's event, the U.S. team reached the final against Iran.

Team events are a different test from a regular bracket: one bad match does not end a nation's run, but every point counts toward the team score. If you want to see how such events are organized, read our guide to backgammon tournaments.