"VAN" (Sports Desk - 05.10.2026) :: The World Judo Championships return to Baku with 622 judoka from 93 nations and an unusual promise: some of the most fascinating contests could take place long before the medal rounds. From 4 October, seven days of individual competition will bring together Olympic champions, defending world champions and a new generation attempting to establish itself on the road towards Los Angeles 2028.
For the biggest names, Baku is the moment to produce their best judo of the year. Azerbaijan will look particularly towards Hidayat Heydarov, the U73kg Olympic and world champion of 2024, who competes at home without a seed and immediately faces the experienced Akil Gjakova. They know each other extremely well, turning the opening contest into an immediate examination of how Heydarov handles the enormous expectations surrounding him in Baku.
Champions collide on the road to gold
Japan again arrives with champions throughout the team. At U66kg, defending world champion Takeshi Takeoka and four-time world champion and double Olympic champion Hifumi Abe could meet in a spectacular semi-final. Abe has responded to his world bronze last year with three consecutive World Tour victories, while Takeoka enters as the man wearing the red backpatch.
The women's U63kg category provides another compelling storyline. Haruka Kaju is defending her world title and arrives on a remarkable run of 35 consecutive contest victories. Yet the draw by IJF Sports Director Vladimir Barta has placed former world champion Jessica Klimkait, who is unseeded, in Kaju's pool. Six-time world champion Clarisse Agbegnenou is also unseeded and could potentially meet Kaju later in the tournament, while Olympic champion Rafaela Silva adds still more pedigree to an exceptional field.
Big fights from the opening morning
There is no need to wait for the middle of the week for the drama to begin. In women's U48kg, world number one Xinran Hui could encounter 2025 world champion Assunta Scutto remarkably early. The Italian returns from injury without a seed, making her one of several champions whose current ranking has turned them into dangerous opponents in the opening rounds.
The same phenomenon runs throughout the championships. Three-time world champion Tato Grigalashvili is unseeded at U81kg, where Azerbaijan's Zelim Tckaev carries another major home medal opportunity. Uta Abe returns to the city where she won her first world title in 2018 and now chases a sixth crown at U52kg. Eteri Liparteliani, meanwhile, defends the U57kg title that made her Georgia's first female world champion.
That mixture of established champions, rising contenders and unusually dangerous unseeded athletes gives Baku a different dynamic. The draw means journalists cannot simply wait for the final block to find the day's biggest story. From the first morning onwards, contests with the quality of World Championship quarter-finals and semi-finals may appear much earlier on the programme.
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