the world of coffee arrives in brussels for the first time in 2026, packed with championships, new exhibitions, and top coffee spots to explore.
the directory is yours to explore, and the passport is free.
walking past the entrance of the brussels expo, the air is thick with the rich aroma of freshly ground beans. it's the first time world of coffee has chosen this vibrant city as its stage, and there's an electric buzz among the crowd. inside, the hiss of espresso machines and the chatter of excited attendees meld into a vibrant symphony. with the world brewers cup and the debut of the producer village, it's more than a coffee event, it's a celebration of the craft. cafés around the city like kaffabar and mok coffee roastery offer respite, each cup served with a story.
world of coffee brussels 2026 runs from june 25 to 27 at brussels expo, the sprawling event complex sitting on the edge of the atomium site in laeken, north of the city centre. this is the first time the specialty coffee association's flagship european trade show has come to belgium, and that alone makes it worth paying attention to.
brussels expo is not a small venue. the complex covers roughly 60,000 square metres of exhibition space across multiple connected halls, which means the show has room to breathe in a way that some previous host cities struggled to offer. getting there from the centre is straightforward: tram line 7 and 9 both run directly to atomium, and the venue is about 20 minutes from gare du midi if you're arriving by eurostar. worth planning ahead, though, because the mornings are busy and the coffee crowd is not known for being late.
the specialty coffee association has hosted world of coffee in cities including vienna, milan, amsterdam, and helsinki. brussels is a different proposition. it's a city with genuine multilingual energy, a serious food culture, and a specialty coffee scene that has been quietly building for years without demanding much credit for it. hosting the event here feels earned rather than arbitrary.
doors open to trade visitors on thursday the 25th. all three days are open to professionals with a valid badge, and public tickets are available across the full run. if you're travelling from the uk, a thursday morning eurostar from st pancras gets you there in time for the afternoon championship heats.
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three world-level competitions run across the three days, and each of them pulls a different kind of crowd.
the world brewers cup is the one that tends to draw the most spectators from outside the industry. competitors prepare and serve three cups of manually brewed coffee to a panel of sensory judges, working through a compulsory round and then an open service where they can choose their own coffee and brewing method. the scoring rewards both the liquid in the cup and the presentation, so you get genuine theatre alongside the technique. past champions have used everything from a straightforward kalita wave to more obscure pouring vessels most of the room has never seen before.
the world coffee roasting championship works differently. competitors roast a set of mystery green coffees on unfamiliar equipment under timed conditions, with scores based on roast profile analysis, cupping results, and defect sorting. it's the least visually dramatic of the three for casual onlookers, but if you're interested in the production side of the industry, it's genuinely fascinating to watch professionals adapt to a machine they've never touched before. the world coffee roasting championship has a dedicated following among roasters for exactly this reason.
world coffee in good spirits combines coffee and alcohol-based drinks. competitors prepare a set menu including an irish coffee variation and a signature drink of their own design. it's a competition that tends to attract people who came up through bartending as much as coffee, and the results are often the most visually unexpected of anything on the competition floor.
here's a rough overview of what to expect from each:
| championship | format | judging focus | best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| world brewers cup | manual brewing, open service | flavour, technique, presentation | brewing nerds, general public |
| world coffee roasting championship | live roasting on mystery equipment | roast analysis, cupping, defect sorting | roasters, green buyers |
| world coffee in good spirits | cocktail-style service | creativity, balance, technique | bartenders, cocktail enthusiasts |
all three finals take place on saturday the 27th. if you can only make one day, that's the one.
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the biggest addition is the producer village, and it's the first time a feature like this has appeared at a european world of coffee. previous editions have occasionally brought producing-country representation, but this is a dedicated, structured village giving coffee farmers, exporters, and co-operatives from origin countries a proper platform rather than a corner of a general exhibitor hall. if you have ever sat across a cupping table and wanted to ask the person who actually grew the coffee what the harvest was like this year, this is a rare chance to do exactly that.
i spoke to a roaster at a trade event last year who had just returned from a sourcing trip to a smallholder cooperative in sidama, ethiopia. she described standing in a wet mill at six in the morning watching cherry being sorted, and how that single experience changed the way she talked about those coffees to customers. the producer village won't replicate that, obviously. but it brings some of that texture into a room where most attendees never get access to it.
the roaster villages are also expanded this year, with two separate villages housing around 120 roasters between them. that's a significant number. you'll find roasters ranging from two-person operations that opened eighteen months ago to established names shipping across the continent. the format is deliberately informal: small stands, ground coffee, filter brewing, conversation. it's the part of the show where you're most likely to find something you'll be ordering online by sunday night.
beyond those two headline additions, the exhibitor floor has grown to over 450 brands, covering equipment, green coffee, packaging, technology, and training. world of coffee's official exhibitor list tends to go live a few months before the event and is worth monitoring if you're planning meetings in advance.
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you can watch in person, and honestly, that's the right call if you're already at the show. the competition stages are built into the main hall with tiered spectator areas, and the atmosphere during finals is genuinely different from the usual trade show hum. get there early for the final rounds. seats fill up and the standing areas get dense.
for those who can't make it to brussels, the sca typically streams the major championship rounds live. the sca's youtube channel has broadcast finals from previous world of coffee events and is the most reliable place to find live coverage. quality varies depending on the production setup that year, but the brewers cup and good spirits finals tend to get the most attention.
a few practical things if you're watching in person:
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brussels has more going on coffee-wise than most visitors realise, and the good news is that several of the best spots are in neighbourhoods you'd want to be in anyway.
kaffabar on rue archimède is probably the most consistent place in the city for a precise, unfussy filter coffee. the space is small and the counter takes up most of it. they take brewing seriously without performing seriousness at you, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
mok coffee roastery has a roastery and café setup in the city and is one of the better-known belgian specialty names. if you want to see what the local roasting scene produces, this is a logical first stop. the espresso is well-dialled and they're not shy about filter options alongside it.
or coffee roasters is based in ghent but has a presence in brussels and regularly shows up at events like this. their approach to sourcing is direct and transparent, which you can taste in the cup if you pay attention.
belga and co sits in the ixelles neighbourhood and has a relaxed, neighbourhood-café energy that makes it a good option if you've been on your feet at the expo all day and want to decompress rather than dissect.
bouche on rue de la fourche leans into natural process coffees. the room smells extraordinary on a good day, that specific warm ferment edge you get from washed-to-natural ratio being pushed in the right direction.
aksum coffee house is worth a visit for a different reason. the focus is on ethiopian coffee and traditional preparation, which gives you a point of reference that's genuinely distinct from the european specialty norm. after spending time at the producer village, that context matters more.
none of these places will be a secret during world of coffee week. expect them to be busier than usual and don't be surprised if the person next to you at the counter is a barista from oslo or a green buyer from portland.
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yes, if you work in coffee. full stop. the show is not cheap to attend once you factor in travel, accommodation, badge cost, and the money you will absolutely spend at the roaster villages. but as a single concentrated opportunity to taste across 120 roasters, watch world-level competition, meet producers in person, and have the kinds of conversations that usually only happen at origin or behind a bar, nothing else on the european calendar comes close.
for enthusiasts who don't work in the industry, the honest answer is more conditional. a public day ticket gets you onto the floor and into the spectator areas, and that's genuinely good value if you're already in brussels and serious about coffee. but if you're flying in specifically as a non-trade visitor, you should be realistic: some exhibitors are trade-only, the networking value is lower without an industry context, and the sensory overload of 450 exhibitors and three competitions running simultaneously is real.
trade badges need to be registered in advance through the sca website. public tickets are typically available at the door but will be cheaper bought ahead.
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we track every discipline year round: the world brewers cup, the world coffee roasting championship, and world coffee in good spirits. full event details on the World of Coffee Brussels 2026 event page.
the event runs june 25 to 27, 2026, at brussels expo. trade doors typically open at 9am each day and the show floor closes at 6pm, with competition finals sometimes running into the early evening. check the official sca website closer to the date for confirmed hours, as these can shift slightly between announcement and the event.
both options exist. trade badges require proof of industry affiliation and are registered in advance. public day tickets are available to anyone and can usually be purchased at the door, though advance booking tends to be cheaper. if you're a roaster, barista, café owner, or work anywhere in the supply chain, register for a trade badge. it gets you access to everything.
yes. the producer village is part of the main show floor and is included with any valid event badge, trade or public. it's one of the more accessible parts of the event for non-industry visitors because the conversations tend to be more open and less transactional than on the main exhibitor floor.
tram lines 7 and 9 run from the city centre directly to the atomium stop, which is a short walk from the expo entrance. by metro, line 6 runs to heysel, which is adjacent. from brussels-midi (the eurostar terminal), the journey takes around 20 to 25 minutes by tram. taxis and rideshare are straightforward but will take longer during peak morning hours on show days.
if you can only pick one, the world brewers cup final on saturday afternoon is the most accessible and tends to have the best atmosphere. the competitors are on stage, the judges are visible, and the tension in the room during a strong open service is something you don't quite get from a stream. world coffee in good spirits final is a close second for spectacle, particularly if the competitors lean into the theatrical side of their signature drinks.
as the sun sets on another day at world of coffee brussels 2026, the city itself becomes a part of the experience. from the expo to the cobbled streets where the aroma of coffee lingers, brussels offers a unique blend of tradition and innovation. whether you're a seasoned barista or a curious newcomer, the connections you make and the flavors you discover here might just be the highlight of your coffee journey. until the next brew, brussels.
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