The 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships run from 17 to 25 October at Rotterdam Ahoy, in the Netherlands. Around 500 gymnasts from 70 to 80 nations compete for the first qualification step to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics: the three podium teams from the team final go straight through. A direct Eurostar service from London St Pancras gets you there in around three and a half hours, no change at Brussels needed. Book tickets and accommodation now — several sessions are already showing as sold out.
Rotterdam is hosting the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships for the third time in its history, nine days of competition from 17 to 25 October 2026. After 1987 and 2010, the city welcomes back an event that means far more than a set of world titles: it’s the first of two team-qualification steps toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, contested under a tighter five-gymnast team format. For UK travellers, getting there is refreshingly simple — a direct Eurostar service links London St Pancras to Rotterdam Centraal in around three and a half hours, with no need to change trains in Brussels.
1. Rotterdam Ahoy, nine days of competition from 17 to 25 October
Rotterdam Ahoy
The competition spreads across halls 1 to 6 of the Rotterdam Ahoy complex (Ahoyweg 10), configured for around 8,500 spectators in gymnastics mode — far below the 16,426 seats the main arena can hold in concert configuration, according to Wikipedia. The programme runs six qualification sessions followed by six finals sessions: men’s and women’s qualifications from 17 to 19 October, men’s team final on the 20th, women’s team final on the 21st, men’s individual all-around on the 22nd, women’s individual all-around on the 23rd, then apparatus finals on the 24th and 25th, per the schedule published by Ahoy.nl. Around 500 gymnasts from 70 to 80 nations are expected, a higher turnout than 2010, when Rotterdam already welcomed 615 gymnasts from 73 federations.
Highlights
- Direct metro access: lines D and E, Zuidplein stop, a 5-minute walk from the arena
- Official ticketing open since October 2025, sessions from €24
- A direct Eurostar link from London St Pancras, around 3.5 hours with no change at Brussels
2. The real starting gun for the road to Los Angeles 2028
The sporting stakes go well beyond a world title. Rotterdam 2026 is the first of two team-qualification steps toward the Los Angeles 2028 Games: the three nations on the podium of the team final on 20 and 21 October secure a full qualifying berth outright, according to Wikipedia. The nine remaining spots will be handed out a year later, at the 2027 World Championships in Chengdu, China.
Another notable change for this Olympic cycle: each team now fields just five gymnasts, down from six during the Paris 2024 cycle, and only eight teams make the team final. A tighter format that makes every national selection more hard-fought than before, adding real tension to this 2026 edition from the qualification rounds onward.
3. Kaylia Nemour, Rebeca Andrade, Carlos Yulo: the athletes to watch
The favourites for the 2026 edition
Kaylia Nemour (Algeria), the reigning Olympic champion on uneven bars, arrives as the big favourite for the all-around after posting the best score in the world this year (57.750 points) at the 2026 Mediterranean Games, according to Olympics.com. Rebeca Andrade (Brazil), Olympic floor champion at Paris 2024, returns to world-level competition after a two-year absence. Carlos Yulo (Philippines), double Olympic champion in Paris, is preparing for Rotterdam after competing at the Asian Games in Nagoya. As for Simone Biles, no competitive comeback has been officially announced to date: she puts her own odds of returning for Los Angeles 2028 at « 50-50, » without having confirmed Rotterdam, according to Olympics.com.
For British fans, both the men’s and women’s Great Britain teams have already qualified for Rotterdam. The men open their campaign in Qualification Subdivision 4 on Saturday 17 October, under head coach Barry Collie, while the women’s squad — led by head coach Martine George — was still being finalised as this guide went to press, according to Wikipedia’s coverage of the Great Britain men’s and women’s national artistic gymnastics teams. A team-final top-three finish here would hand GB a direct route to Los Angeles 2028 — a first for the programme.
Highlights
- Kaylia Nemour, all-around favourite, chasing a first world title across any discipline
- Rebeca Andrade, a hugely anticipated return after Paris 2024
- Great Britain’s men and women, both aiming for a first direct Los Angeles 2028 berth via the team final
4. After the competition, exploring Rotterdam
A city rebuilt with architectural nerve
Flattened almost entirely by the bombing of 14 May 1940, Rotterdam chose to rebuild boldly modern rather than replicate what was lost, according to IamExpat. The result is a skyline unlike anywhere else in the Netherlands, spanning Piet Blom’s Cube Houses, the Markthal covered market with its « Horn of Plenty » ceiling mural, the Erasmus Bridge and the Euromast viewing tower. The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest at over 12,600 hectares and more than 40 km long, can be explored on a narrated cruise departing from Willemsplein, right by the Erasmus Bridge, according to the Port of Rotterdam.
To extend the trip, several day excursions are easy from Rotterdam: Delft and its Golden Age old town, The Hague and the Mauritshuis museum, or the Kinderdijk windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage site reachable by public water taxi from the Erasmusbrug jetty. And if the trip leaves you wanting to come back to the Netherlands at another time of year, our complete guide to Keukenhof and the Dutch tulip season covers the best window to catch the fields in full bloom.
Highlights
- Cube Houses, Markthal and Erasmus Bridge, all a short walk from one another
- A cruise through the Port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe
- A day trip to the UNESCO-listed Kinderdijk windmills
Practical info for the trip
From London, a direct Eurostar service links St Pancras International to Rotterdam Centraal in around 3.5 hours, city centre to city centre, with fares starting from around £55 one-way according to Trainline — and no need to change trains in Brussels. Our article on Europe’s new night train routes has more ideas for extending the trip elsewhere on the continent. Once there, Rotterdam Ahoy is served directly by metro (lines D and E, Zuidplein stop), and the complex has accessible seating, lifts and free wheelchairs from the concierge desk — a point covered in more detail in our guide to accessible destinations in Europe, Netherlands included. The Netherlands is part of the Schengen area: UK nationals don’t need a visa for stays of up to 90 days, but should keep an eye on ETIAS — the new pre-travel authorisation was expected to start in late 2026, though as of September 2026 the EU has signalled a more realistic 2027 rollout, according to the House of Commons Library.
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Free quote in 2 minutesFrequently asked questions
When are the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam?
From Saturday 17 to Sunday 25 October 2026, at Rotterdam Ahoy, in the Netherlands, according to the event’s official website.
Where exactly does the competition take place?
At the Rotterdam Ahoy complex, Ahoyweg 10, spread across halls 1 to 6, with direct metro access (lines D and E, Zuidplein stop, a 5-minute walk), according to Ahoy.nl.
Why does this edition matter so much competitively?
It’s the first team-qualification step toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics: the three podium teams from the team final secure their spot outright, according to Wikipedia.
How do you get to Rotterdam from London?
By direct Eurostar train from London St Pancras International, around 3.5 hours city centre to city centre with no change at Brussels, from roughly £55 one-way according to Trainline. Budget flights with easyJet or Ryanair are also an option, though they offer no real time saving over this distance once airport transfers are factored in.
Will Simone Biles compete at the Rotterdam Worlds?
No official announcement of a competitive comeback existed at the time this article was written. She has described her odds of returning for Los Angeles 2028 as « 50-50, » without confirming Rotterdam, according to Olympics.com.
Does the competition clash with the October half-term?
Not for most of the UK. The most common October half-term dates for England in 2026 are 26-30 October, starting the day after the closing ceremony, while Scotland’s October break runs 12-16 October, before the championships even start, according to school-term-dates.co.uk. If you’re travelling for the finals weekend (24-25 October), plan on booking annual leave or a long weekend rather than relying on half-term timing.
Sources
- rotterdam2026.com — Official website of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
- Ahoy.nl — Session schedule and practical venue information
- Olympics.com — Official event overview
- Wikipedia — 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
- Wikipedia — Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification
- Wikipedia — Great Britain men’s national artistic gymnastics team
- Trainline — London-Rotterdam train times and fares
- Eurostar — Direct London-Rotterdam service
- Rotterdam.info — Guide to Rotterdam’s architecture
- school-term-dates.co.uk — England October half-term dates 2026
Research and fact-checking carried out on 22 September 2026.
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