Karate WKF World Championships 2025

[Totallympics 78]

Karate WKF World Championships 2025

 

Cairo (EGY) - 27 November 2025 - 30 November 2025

 

 

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Edited Monday at 10:39 AM by Sindo

[phelps 8,281]

I still wonder why this is not an Olympic sport and certain others are, but still 

 

The 2025 World Championships Qualification Tournament just finished in  Paris 

 

The stakes could not be higher—this marks the final opportunity for karatekas from across the globe to secure their coveted spots at the highly anticipated World Individual Championships in Cairo later this year.

 

This is all you need to know about #KarateParis2025

 

 WHAT

 

·         The WKF World Championships Qualification Tournament (QT) is a closed tournament that awards 6 quotas per category to attend the Karate World Championships, -Individual World Championships.

·         The Qualification Tournament corresponds to the last stage of Phase 1 of the Karate World Championships (Individual World Championships), where karatekas earn the ticket for Phase 2 or the final phase, the Individual World Championships in Cairo.

·         Six spots per category for Cairo 2025 will be awarded at the Qualification Tournament in Paris.

·         It is the first time in history that such an event will be held, following the new format of Karate World Championships.  

 

WHERE

 

·         The Karate event will be held at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium in Paris.

·         Paris is one of the most important hubs of karate in the world. The French capital has been home to some of the biggest karate events in the history of the sport.  

·         Venue of the second edition of the Senior World Championships in 1972, Paris also welcomed the memorable 2012 edition of the World Senior Championships.

·         Host city of 7 European Championships, including the inaugural edition in 1973, Paris has hosted 11 Karate 1-Premier League editions, from the opening event in 2011 until 2020 and again from 2024 to 2025.        

 

WHEN

 

·         The competition is scheduled for October 17 to 19.

·         The first day of the competition comprises the categories of Male and Female Kata, Female Kumite -50kg, and Male Kumite -75kg.

·         The categories scheduled for day 2 are Female Kumite -61kg and +68kg, and Male Kumite -67kg and -60kg

·         The final day has the categories of Female Kumite -55kg and -68kg, and Male Kumite -84kg, and +84kg taking the stage

·         CLICK HERE to go to the full programme of the event.

 

WHO

 

·         No less than 546 athletes from 105 countries are registered to participate in the event, a testament to the global popularity of karate.

·         Bosnia and Herzegovina and Denmark present the largest delegations with 11 athletes each. Powerhouse countries of Azerbaijan, England, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia and WKF 2 compete with 10 athletes each.

·         National Federations may register 1 athlete per category, given that they do not have another athlete already qualified in that particular category through the different qualification pathways for Cairo.

 

HOW

 

·         The competition system is divided into the Group Phase and the Elimination Phase,

·         The Group Phase is conducted with round-robin competition within each group, where the winners will advance to the Elimination Phase.

·         The Elimination round is the qualification bout where 12 athletes compete for one of the six quota spots per category to the Karate World Championships

[phelps 8,281]

Karate experienced a historic moment today as the first-ever World Championships Qualification Tournament started in Paris, France.  On its opening day, the event handed out six coveted tickets per category in Female Kata, Male Kata, Female Kumite -50kg, and Male Kumite -75kg for the World Senior Championships to be held in Cairo, Egypt

 

Female Kata – Gabrielle Henrique Leads the Pack

 

Gabrielle Henrique of Brazil headlined the Female Kata division with a composed and precise performance, defeating Belgium’s Chiara Manca 40.80 to 40.20. Henrique’s strong display secured her spot among the six athletes in Female Kata, booking a trip to the Cairo 2025 World Championships.

She was joined by Mexico’s Yaneth Quiroz Castillo, who defeated Serbia’s Neda Milosevic 38.80 to 38.00, and Sofia Fialkova of Slovakia, who topped Finland’s Bess Manty 39.10 to 38.30. Iran’s Fatemeh Sadeghi Dastak impressed with a sharp and fluid kata, defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chien Hui-Hsuan 40.30 to 38.80.

The remaining tickets went to Sakura Alforte of the Philippines, who beat Hungary’s Fabian Csenge Zita 39.80 to 37.70, and Shannon Leong Wai Yee of Singapore, who overcame Greece’s Georgia-Archontia Xenou 40.30 to 39.00.

 

Male Kata – Thomas Klemz Triumphs for Hosts of France

 

In the Male Kata division, host nation favourite Thomas Klemz gave French fans many reasons to celebrate, narrowly defeating Varishan Bakirov (WKF-1) 40.50 to 40.40.

Jure Sluga of Slovenia also advanced, earning a solid win over Iran’s Mohammad Sadra Shidzi 40.50 to 38.70.

Meanwhile, Howard Hung Ho Wai of Hong Kong, China produced a clean, powerful kata to defeat England’s James Harrison 40.00 to 38.80.

Germany’s Morris Tellocke beat Rick Sonnema of the Netherlands 40.10 to 38.70, as Roman Heydarov of Azerbaijan overcame Poland’s Maciej Kowalczyk 40.10 to 39.50.

Completing the list, Roman Hrcka of Slovakia booked his Cairo ticket after defeating Ireland’s Anes Chaal 40.50 to 37.80.

 

Female Kumite -50kg – Catarina Rodrigues Tops Intense Category

 

Portugal’s Catarina Rodrigues battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Tursynbekova, advancing by decision to claim one of six Cairo spots in the Female Kumite -50kg category.

Insaf Bentama-Serrroukh Jebari of Spain followed with another tense 4-4 decision win over Poland’s Zuzanna Bernaciak.

Thi Thu Nguyen of Vietnam moved on by ‘Hantei’ or decision after a scoreless draw (0-0) against Hong Kong China’s Tsang Yee Ting.

Greece’s Christina Triada Pappa showed dominance with a clear 4-0 win over WKF-2’s Ulyana Markava.

Maya Schaerer of Switzerland delivered the day’s most striking result, overpowering England’s Niamh Lilly Cosgrove 10-2.

The final ticket went to Teodora Tsaneva of Bulgaria, who narrowly beat the United Arab Emirates’ Hawraa Al Ajmi 2-1.

 

Male Kumite -75kg – Daniele De Vivo Leads the Way

 

Italy’s Daniele De Vivo was in commanding form, taking a 5-0 win over Brazil’s Gabriel Nascimento to top the Male Kumite -75kg group.

He was joined by Devid Nhuyen (WKF-2, AKA Belarus), who impressed with an 8-0 victory over Poland’s Lukasz Bankowski.

Armenia’s Suren Harutyunyan recorded one of the most dominant performances of the day, overpowering Korea’s An Gwangmin 10-1.

Nario Lopes of Angola advanced after a tight 3-3 match against the Dominican Republic’s Carlos Antonio Herrera, prevailing on decision.

From the Netherlands, Ricardo Franken took a convincing 3-0 win over Albania’s Bekim Basha, while Sultan Alzahrani of Saudi Arabia closed the session with a narrow 1-0 victory against Georgia’s Valiko Poniava.

[phelps 8,281]

The 2025 World Championships Qualification Tournament continued in Paris with an emotional second day that will be remembered in karate history. As the first-ever qualifying event for the World Championships, the tournament carries special weight — each bout shapes the road to Cairo, where the world’s best will meet later this year. On Saturday, six athletes across four categories punched their tickets to Cairo after fierce, high-level contests

 

Female Kumite -61kg: France Celebrates Sydney Yvon’s Triumph

 

France’s Sydney Yvon thrilled the home crowd with a narrow 2-1 victory against Anthi Stylianou of Cyprus to earn the ticket to Cairo 2025, much to the celebration of local fans.

Thi Dieu Ly Nguyen from Vietnam edged past Katarzyna Lewandowska of Poland in a scoreless bout decided by hantei (referee decision).

Italy’s Aurora Graziosi dominated Huang Yu Ru of Chinese Taipei 9-1, while Emina Sipovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina impressed with a commanding 9-0 win against Jasmine Pomeroy of England.

Also, Switzerland’s Nina Radjenovic secured her spot after defeating Altana Basangova of WKF-1 by 1-0 in a tense, defensive match.

Austria’s Lejla Topalovic followed suit with a composed 2-0 win over Lo Pui Cheng of Macau.

 

Male Kumite -67kg: Mendes and Dziuda Shine in Tight Matches

 

The men’s -67kg division was one of the most competitive of the day.

Portugal’s Joaquim Mendes opened with a clean 3-0 victory over Pranay Sharma of India, showing sharp timing and speed.

Poland’s Dominik Dziuda prevailed in one of the day’s most intense matches, edging Amir Reza Mirzaei Fashtali of the Refugee Karate Team 7-6 in a thrilling exchange of points.

Iran’s Amirreza Borzooeichaghagolani held firm to win 3-2 over Omar Chaltouni of the UAE, while Italy’s Luca Maresca relied on experience to beat Davyd Yanovskyi of Ukraine 1-0.

Serbia’s Stefan Joksic controlled his match against Vukashin Jovanovich of North Macedonia, winning 2-0, and Hui Pan Cheng of Hong Kong China defeated Jed Thompson of England 4-1.

 

Female Kumite +68kg: Coman, Mulolo and Fleischer Dominate Heavyweight Division

 

The +68kg women’s division featured power, precision, and emotion.

Romania’s Maria Cristina Coman delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, overpowering Cirrus Lingl of the USA 8-2.

Belgium’s Ophelie Mulolo followed with an 8-5 win over Laleh Marzi Hananeh Salehi of Iran in a strong back-and-forth battle.

Hungary’s Dora Fleischer cruised past Valeria Echever of Ecuador 8-0, while Austria’s Lora Ziller secured her qualification with a 5-2 victory against Arika Gurung of Nepal.

Sweden’s Sophie Bao Bednarski outscored Amalie Hakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, and the Netherlands’ Ingrid Creemers defeated Maryia Malakhava of WKF-2, 5-1.

 

Male Kumite -60kg: Albashar and Sordia Lead a Fast-Paced Division

 

In the -60kg men’s category, speed and precision defined the qualifying clashes.

Saudi Arabia’s Saud Albashar impressed with a high-scoring 14-6 win over Ka Him Chau of Hong Kong China.

Georgia’s Tsotne Sordia delivered a flawless 8-0 victory over Rasmus Abildgaard of Denmark.

Ukraine’s Nikita Filipov defeated Martin Drabek of the Czech Republic 2-0, while Romania’s Erhan Tornaci scored a solid 7-2 win against Eric Timmer of Switzerland.

Fahik Veseli of North Macedonia qualified after a 1-1 draw with Ahmed El Amine Hellal of France, advancing on criteria.

Venezuela’s Jhoisber Chataing sealed his ticket with an emotional 2-1 win over Adam Hamill of Scotland.

[phelps 8,281]

The 2025 World Championships Qualification Tournament came to a thrilling close in Paris, where history was made on the final day. Six athletes per category earned qualification in each of the four remaining divisions: Female Kumite -55 kg, Male Kumite -84 kg, Female Kumite -68 kg, and Male Kumite 84+ kg

 

Female Kumite -55 kg: Dominant Performances Lead the Way

 

The women’s -55 kg division saw precise technique and confident performances across the tatamis.

Sevinch Rakhimova of Uzbekistan set the tone with a clear 4–0 win over Laura Lisac of Croatia, controlling the match from start to finish.

Sweden’s Matilda Rosenlind advanced after a 2–2 draw against Rudina Aliu of North Macedonia, moving on by criteria.

Meanwhile, Rina Kodo from Japan showed strong form, defeating Virag Molnar of Hungary 4–1.

Belgium’s Ayah El Aidi edged a tactical 1–0 victory over Ku Tsui-Ping of Chinese Taipei, and Azerbaijan’s Madina Sadigova delivered one of the day’s most one-sided results, beating Nejra Sipovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6–0.

Closing the category, Italy’s Viola Lallo earned a hard-fought 3–2 win against Lucy Hrdlickova of the Czech Republic.

 

Male Kumite -84 kg: High-Scoring Bouts and Local Cheers

 

In the Male Kumite -84 kg class, the intensity was unmistakable as six fighters secured their spots for Cairo.

Serbia’s Vladimir Brezancic advanced after a 3–3 draw with Bryan Buka of the USA.

Ruben Dario Henao Amu from Colombia impressed with a 5–2 win over Mohamed Abudabous of Libya.

Azerbaijan’s Turgut Hasanov delivered a confident 6–3 victory against Jesus Moreno of Mexico, showing strong attacking rhythm.

Also, Ecuador’s Jose Antonio Acevedo edged Demetris Demetriades of Cyprus 3–2 in a close tactical match.

The crowd erupted when Hendrick Confiac of France overwhelmed Michele Martina of Italy 8–0, giving the host nation a standout result as one more representative of the host nation earned the qualifying spot.

England’s Ashton Patrick wrapped up the group with a sharp 4–1 victory over Anthony Kelly of Ireland.

 

Female Kumite -68 kg: Precision and Pressure Across Every Bout

 

The Female Kumite -68 kg category brought tactical contests and bursts of energy from start to finish.

Austria’s Hanna Devigili edged past Line Zacho Knudsen of Denmark 6–4, while Lynn Snel from the Netherlands controlled her match against Iman Ejja of Belgium, taking a 9–5 win.

Iran’s Mobina Heydariozomcheloe delivered a composed 4–1 victory over Wendy Mary Ann Mosquera Riasco of Colombia, while Sara Krivdova of Slovakia kept her opponent, Alexandra Adam of Hungary, scoreless in a solid 4–0 performance.

Puerto Rico’s Janessa Michelle Fonseca Romero displayed sharp offensive form in an 8–3 win against Serbia’s Teodora Krstovic.

The last qualifier, Vlera Qerimi of Kosovo, secured her ticket after a tense 0–0 draw with Konstantina-Evaggelia Peppa of Greece, advancing by hantei (judges’ decision).

 

Male Kumite 84+ kg: Heavyweights Deliver Power and Precision

 

The Male Kumite +84 kg division provided a fitting finale to the tournament, combining physical strength with strategic precision.

Luxembourg’s Alexander Davies moved forward after a 4–4 draw against Tomas Kosa of Slovakia, advancing by criteria.

Anel Castillo from the Dominican Republic booked his ticket with a last-minute win over Pablo Andres Benavides Palomino of Mexico.

Asiman Gurbanli of Azerbaijan edged Devante Brandon Walters of England 3–2 in a tense bout that went down to the final seconds.

Representing WKF-1 (AKA, Russia), Makar Golovin earned a 5–3 victory against Akbarshokh Amonulloev of Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile, the United States’ Eduard Sagilyan triumphed in one of the day’s highest-scoring matches, defeating Germany’s Nikolai Sekot 10–7.

Rounding off the qualifiers, Ivan Kudzynau of WKF-2 (AKA, Belarus) beat Nemanja Jovovic of Montenegro 5-2. 

[phelps 8,281]

All these fighters join the pre-qualified athletes in each category at the 2025 World Karate Championship Finals in  Cairo in November, where the best 32 specialists in each class will fight for the World Title

 

This is the list of the already qualified fighters:

 

https://www.wkf.net/files/pdf/documents/KARATEWORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS_V9.pdf

[phelps 8,281]

All Credits to WKF.net

[phelps 8,281]

2025 World Senior Individual Karate Championships Set for Cairo

 

The 2025 World Senior Individual Karate Championships will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from November 27 to 30.

 

This edition marks a turning point for the sport, as it is the first world championship held separately from the team events.

 

The event begins a new era for karate on the global stage.

 

A New Era: The Top 32 Athletes in Each Category

 

The 2025 championships are the first to feature a streamlined format in which only the world’s top 32 athletes per category qualify.

 

These competitors earned their places through an intense year-long qualification process.

 

In total, 384 athletes from 88 countries will compete—an impressive demonstration of karate’s worldwide reach.

 

Egypt, Australia, Japan, and Italy are the only nations with full representation across all categories, further showing their depth in the sport.

 

Global Stars Return to Defend Their Titles

 

Some of the sport’s most accomplished karatekas will take part in Cairo.

 

Defending champions Li Gong (China), Iryna Zaretska (Azerbaijan), Christos-Stefanos Xenos (Greece), Abdalla Abdelaziz (Egypt), Youssef Badawy (Egypt), and Mehdi Filali (France) headline a powerful field.

 

Their presence fuels anticipation for high-level competition throughout the four days.

 

Competition Format

 

Group Stage and Elimination Rounds

 

The tournament will follow a two-phase format.

 

Group Phase:

Athletes compete in round-robin groups.

 

The competitor with the highest number of victory points becomes the group winner.

 

Both the group winner and runner-up advance to the next phase.

 

Elimination Phase:

The elimination stage uses a knockout format with four rounds: Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semi-finals, and Medal Bouts.

 

The winners of the semi-finals move on to the finals.

 

The two semi-final losers and the two quarter-finalists defeated by the finalists will compete for the bronze medals.

 

Daily Schedule of the Championships

 

Thursday, November 27

• Eliminations and Round of 16 for Female Kata
• Kumite categories: Male & Female −60kg, −50kg, −67kg, −55kg, −75kg

 

Friday, November 28

• Eliminations and Round of 16 for Male Kata
• Kumite categories: Female & Male −61kg, −84kg, −68kg, +84kg, +68kg

 

Saturday, November 29

• Full Para Karate competition: from eliminations to finals
• Opening Ceremony
• Quarterfinals and Semi-finals across all categories

 

Sunday, November 30

• Medal Bouts and Finals
• Presentation of the new world champions

 

Cairo: A Proven Host for Karate’s Biggest Event

 

The championships will be held at the Cairo International Stadium.

 

This marks the city’s return as host of the sport’s flagship event after last welcoming it in 1988.

 

In recent years, Cairo has strengthened its role as a key karate hub by hosting Karate 1–Premier League events, continental championships, and other major competitions.

 

The city’s experience and passion for the sport make it a fitting stage for this landmark edition.

 

High Expectations for a Defining Championship

 

The 2025 World Senior Individual Championships are set to deliver four days of intense, world-class competition.

 

With a new qualification system, a refined event structure, and the participation of karate’s most recognized athletes, expectations are high for a championship that will shape the sport’s next chapter.

 

Live on YouTube!

 

All the action from Cairo will be available on the WKF YouTube channel.

 

From the eliminations to the finals, fans can catch all the karate moments as they happen on the streaming of the WKF YouTube channel.

 

The medal bouts will be restricted to territories with TV coverage.

 

Youtube links:

 

https://www.youtube.com/@WKFKarateWorldChamps/featured

[phelps 8,281]

Day #1 Recap

 

women's Kata, Quarterfinals

Ana Cruz vs Terryana D'Onofrio
Sakura Kokumai vs Maho Ono
Georgia-Archontia Xenou vs Chiara Manca
Aya Hesham vs Grace Lau Mo Sheung

women's Kumite, -50kg, Quarterfinals

Yorgelis Salazar Camacho vs Gulshan Alimardanova
Tiphaine Bonnarde vs Tsang Yee Ting
Reem Ahmed Salama vs Sara Bahmanyar
Lili Alvarado vs Shahmalarani Chandran

women's Kumite, -55kg, Quarterfinals

Anzhelika Terliuga vs Ahlam Youssef
Fateme Saadati vs Valentina Toro Meneses
Louiza Abouriche vs Madina Sadigova
Hana Furumoto-Deshaies vs Nina Kvasnicova

men's Kumite, -60kg, Quarterfinals

Tsotne Sordia vs Eray Samdan
() Akhmed Akhmedov vs Christos-Stefanos Xenos
Alì Meskini vs Mekhriddin Turakhonov
Islam Selmani vs Hiromu Hashimoto

men's Kumite, -67kg, Quarterfinals

Afeef Ghaith vs Georgios Baliotis
Abdul Vakhkhob Rashidov vs () Iurik Ogannisian
Tomas Freire Fuentes vs Ayoub Anis Helassa
Didar Amirali vs Said Oubaya

men's Kumite, -75kg, Quarterfinals

Andrii Zaplitnyi vs Enzo Berthon
() Ernest Sharafutdinov vs Nurkanat Azhikanov
Hamza Sam vs Suren Harutyunyan
Thomas Scott vs Mamduh Abdelaziz Abdalla 

 

[phelps 8,281]

quite a few surprises in day 1 

 

the new rules (I don't like them at all) allowed many fighters that lost 1 match in the group phase and ended up in 2nd place in their pool to comeback in the round of 16 and make it through to the quarterfinals at the expense of the group winners

 

for what concerns the Italians, I can only say

 

 

it's been a complete Waterloo, a disaster for the ages, most likely the worst performance ever by our Nation at the World Championships