Gymnastics Worlds in Rotterdam: Schedule, How to Watch, Key Dates

Updated 23:59 UTC, Oct 21, 2026. China beat the United States in the women's team final at the World Championships in Rotterdam on Wednesday, scoring 165.764 points to 165.531 for the Americans, USA Today and NBC Sports reported. The margin was 0.233 points. It is the first time the US women have lost a world team title since 2010, and it ends a run of seven straight titles that began in 2011. Japan took bronze with 164.063, its first world team medal since 1966. The three medal teams all earn direct team places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

China's first world team title since 2006 came down to the last routine of the final. Qiu Qiyuan needed better than 12.6 points on floor exercise to pass the Americans, and she scored 12.833. The United States, with Skye Blakely, Charleigh Bullock, Dulcy Caylor, Reese Esponda and Claire Pease, had led by nearly two points after two rotations, on vault and uneven bars. Balance beam turned the final. Zhang Qingying scored 15.066, the highest score of the final on any apparatus, and China's three beam routines totalled 43.366 points against 39.199 for the United States. Caylor fell on her beam dismount and scored 12.333. China led by about 2.2 points going into floor, and the Americans closed most of the gap but not all of it.

France finished fourth with 161.130, ahead of Brazil on 159.730, the team competing as World Gymnastics 2 on 159.394, Italy on 158.129 and Canada on 158.096. Caylor was competing in place of Hezly Rivera, the Paris Olympic gold medalist who withdrew before qualifying with a left ankle injury. The championships continue on Thursday with the men's all around final, followed by the women's all around final on Friday.

Updated 21:52 UTC, Oct 20, 2026. Japan won the men's team final at the World Championships in Rotterdam on Tuesday, scoring 251.928 to repeat as world champion, USA Today and NBC Sports reported. The team competing as World Gymnastics 2, Russia, took silver with 250.329, and China took bronze with 249.193. The three medal teams earn direct team places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The United States finished sixth with 245.161, behind Great Britain in fourth with 247.395 and Switzerland in fifth with 246.497. The Netherlands were seventh with 241.294 and Colombia eighth with 240.093. Sixth is the lowest finish for the US men at an Olympics or a World Championships since 2006, and it means the Americans miss a direct Olympic team place in Rotterdam. They can still qualify at the 2027 World Championships, where the last nine team places will be decided.

Japan were led by Daiki Hashimoto and Shinnosuke Oka, the last two Olympic all around champions. Hashimoto competed on all six apparatus and closed the final with 14.866 on high bar. Japan have now won three straight Olympic or world team titles, their longest run at the top since the run from 1960 to 1978. The Russian team competed in a team event at a global championship for the first time since it won the Tokyo Olympics, as neutrals under the World Gymnastics 2 name.

For the United States, Patrick Hoopes scored 14.833 on pommel horse, the highest score the US men posted on any apparatus in the final. Frederick Richard, the only member of the 2024 Olympic bronze medal team on this squad, fell on pommel horse and scored 12.866. The women's team final follows on Wednesday, Oct 21.

Updated 16:05 UTC, Oct 17, 2026. Hezly Rivera, the Paris Olympic gold medalist and two time US all around champion, has withdrawn from the World Championships in Rotterdam with a left ankle injury, USA Today and NBC Sports reported on Saturday. Rivera, the only Olympian on the five woman US team, was limited in training on Thursday and withdrew after the US training session on Saturday, a day before the US women compete in qualifying. Alternate Dulcy Caylor takes her place on the team, and the US women start qualifying on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. Rivera sprained the same ankle shortly after the 2025 US Championships, and that injury kept her out of the 2025 World Championships as well. Skye Blakely is now the only gymnast on the US team who has taken part in a team competition at an Olympics or a World Championships.

The 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships run from October 17 to 25 at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Qualifying opens the meet from October 17 to 19, and all qualifying sessions stream live on EurovisionSport.com. The finals air on Peacock and NBCSN, with a highlights show on NBC on Sunday, October 25 at noon ET.

These are the first team events at a global championship since the Paris Olympics. That alone raises the stakes. Teams get their first clear look at the new Olympic cycle, and the top three teams in each team final earn direct places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Qualifying comes first

Men's qualifying starts on Saturday, October 17. Women's qualifying runs from October 18 to 19. The US men's qualifying session is Saturday, October 17 at 2:10 p.m. ET, streamed on EurovisionSport.com.

Qualifying does more than fill the finals. The top eight teams reach the team finals. The top 24 gymnasts reach each all-around final, with a maximum of two per country. The top eight on each apparatus reach the apparatus finals. A rough day in qualifying can end a medal chance before the finals start.

Canada opens early. Canada's men open qualifying on October 17 and its women compete on October 19. Canada sends five men: Jordan Carroll, Rene Cournoyer, Felix Dolci, Xavier Olasz and Sam Zakutney. Canada sends five women: Ellie Black, Gabrielle Black, Coralie Demers, Lia-Monica Fontaine and Lia Redick.

The finals schedule

The men's team final is Tuesday, October 20. The women's team final is Wednesday, October 21. The men's all-around final is Thursday, October 22. The women's all-around final is Friday, October 23. Apparatus finals run on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25.

In the United States, the finals air on Peacock and NBCSN. NBC carries a highlights show on Sunday, October 25 at noon ET. Qualifying is the streaming part of the week, on EurovisionSport.com for every session.

The US women and a long run

The US women have won the last seven world team titles dating to 2011. That run makes them the team to beat again in Rotterdam. The test looks real this time. The US women are expected to be challenged by China and Russia.

There is also a new feel to the US team. No gymnast on this year's US women's team has competed in an all-around at an Olympics or worlds before. That means new names in the biggest spots, and no past all-around record at this level to lean on. How they handle the team final on October 21 will tell a lot about the next two years.

The team final is not only about medals. The top three teams in each team final earn direct Olympic places for Los Angeles 2028. A place on the podium this week can set a program's path for the whole cycle.

Key numbers and rules to know

Dates: October 17 to 25. Place: Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Team final cut: top eight teams from qualifying. All-around cut: top 24 gymnasts, maximum two per country. Apparatus cut: top eight on each apparatus. Olympic reward: top three teams in each team final earn direct places for Los Angeles 2028. US women's team title run: seven straight world team titles dating to 2011.

A dispute over visas

One dispute hangs over the meet. According to TASS reporting, the Netherlands refused visas to Russian gymnasts Angelina Melnikova, Viktoria Listunova and Anna Kalmykova, and the Russian Olympic Committee asked for the event's Olympic qualifying status to be removed. Russian coach Valentina Rodionenko told TASS on October 14 that the qualifying status will stay.

That reporting matters because the Olympic places are a central part of this meet. For now, based on that TASS report, the qualifying status stays in place.

Why it matters

Worlds in Rotterdam is the start of the road to Los Angeles 2028. It is the first team test since Paris, the first chance for teams to earn direct Olympic places, and the first look at which programs have rebuilt best since the last Games.

For fans, it is also a full week of finals in a clear order. Team finals first, then all-around finals, then apparatus finals to close. Each night answers a different question: best team, best all-around gymnast, best on each single apparatus.

What happens next

After qualifying ends on October 19, the meet turns to finals. The men's team final on October 20 opens that run, followed by the women's team final on October 21. The all-around finals follow on October 22 and 23, and apparatus finals close the championships on October 24 and 25.

Watch qualifying closely. The scores there set the finals fields, show which teams are clean and which teams are counting falls, and show whether the US women's run is under real threat. By Sunday, October 25, Rotterdam will have new world champions and the first three Olympic team places for Los Angeles in each team event will be set, based on the team final results.