Hugo’s next international challenge, the ITTF World Cup will once again be held in Macau from April 14 to 20. The competition is one of the most important of the season, delivering high ranking points to the outstanding squad that will be there.

One of the most traditional competitions in international table tennis, the World Cup returned in 2024 after a three-year hiatus. And the return came with new features in the competition system.

Here’s everything you need to know about the competition:

QUALIFICATION SYSTEM

The ITTF World Cup qualifiers have been defined this way:

• 1 spot for the current world champion
• 1 spot for the current U19 world champion
• Up to 2 spots for the host country
• 20 spots through the continental cups, 4 for each confederation (Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania)
• Other spots by the world ranking

Check out the full list of qualifiers: male | female

BRAZILIANS IN MACAU

In the men’s draw, Brazil will have two other players in addition to Hugo: Vitor Ishiy, who qualified by the ranking, and Eric Jouti, who secured his place with a bronze medal at this year’s Pan American Cup.

In the women’s draw, Bruna Takahashi qualified by winning the Pan American Cup.

PLAYING SYSTEM

The ITTF World Cup will feature men’s and women’s singles draws. The competition will be divided into two stages.

In the first, the 48 athletes in each draw will be divided into 16 groups with three players in each. They will all play each other and the first-place finisher will advance to the second stage, which will be played in a knockout system from the Round of 16 onwards.

But the group stage has some special features. First, the matches will be played over four games, and can be decided by 4-0, 3-1 or 2-2. And the final ranking will be based solely on the ratios of wins to losses, first in games and then points, as far as is necessary to resolve the order.

From the Round of 16 onwards, it’s back to business as usual: matches played in best of 7 games until the champion is crowned.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Check out the points at stake in the ITTF World Cup:

• Champion: 1,500 points
• Runner-up: 1,050 points
• Semifinals: 525 points
• Quarterfinals: 265 points
• Round of 16: 130 points
• 2nd-place finisher of each group: 40 points
• 3rd-place finisher of each group: 15 points

SCHEDULE

Check out the schedule for each day of competition:

Monday (Apr. 14)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Group Stage (Round #1)

Tuesday (Apr. 15)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Group Stage (Round #2)

Wednesday (Apr. 16)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Group Stage (Round #3)

Thursday (Apr. 17)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Round of 16

Friday (Apr. 18)

• Men’s and women’s singles:  Quarterfinals

Saturday (Apr. 19)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Semifinals

Sunday (Apr. 20)

• Men’s and women’s singles: Finals

HOW TO FOLLOW

CazéTV will broadcast the ITTF World Cup in Brazil.

You can also follow our coverage on Hugo’s WhatsApp channel and also on his broadcast channel on Instagram.