2026 World Barista Championship Opens in Panama, SCA Event Lands in Latin America for First Time

The 2026 World Barista Championship (WBC) opened in Panama City, the capital of Panama, on Oct 22, running through Oct 25. The competition took place at the Panama Convention Center, bringing together champion baristas from more than 50 countries. The World Barista Championship was held alongside World of Coffee Panama, and this is the first time the two major coffee industry events have landed in Latin America.

During the competition, each contestant has 15 minutes to prepare and serve a set of 12 drinks to a panel of professional judges: 4 espressos, 4 milk-based drinks, and 4 original signature drinks. Judges comprehensively evaluate across multiple dimensions including sensory quality of the drinks, technical proficiency, operational standards, creative expression, and overall presentation and process control.

The World Barista Championship is an important showcase platform for innovation and excellence in the specialty coffee field. Bringing the event to Panama highlights the country’s status as a core high-quality coffee origin — especially the world-renowned Geisha variety. The concurrent World of Coffee expo provided a venue for coffee producers, importers, roasters and other industry players to connect, negotiate and do business.

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