All you need to know about Hong Kong’s Fencing World Championships

Hong Kong hosts the Fencing World Championships for the first time from 22 to 30 July, and two of the city’s own Olympic and world champions will be fencing for gold on home soil. 

Here’s what to know before the Fencing World Championships in Hong Kong begin.

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What’s actually happening?

The Kerry Fencing World Championships 2026 bring together 1,460 athletes from 114 nations at AsiaWorld-Expo. It’s widely regarded as a leading fencing competition outside the Olympics, with 12 individual and team events across foil, épée, and sabre for men and women. Organisers expect over 50,000 spectators across the nine days of competition.

Why is hosting the Fencing World Championships a big deal for Hong Kong?

This is the first time the city has hosted the Fencing World Championships, and its first major event across all three weapons since the 2017 Asian Fencing Championships, also held at AsiaWorld-Expo. The bid followed a run of results that pushed Hong Kong fencing into the global conversation: Cheung’s two Olympic foil titles, Vivian Kong’s épée gold in Paris, and Choi’s breakthrough world title – all out of one small programme.

Who are the Hong Kong fencers to watch at the Fencing World Championships?

Edgar Cheung Ka-long is the headline name, a two-time Olympic foil champion (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024) who has never won a World Championships medal, now chasing that title in front of his own crowd. 

Ryan Choi Chun-yin, who beat him to it, defends the individual foil title he won in Tbilisi last year, a result that carried him to world No.1 for the rest of that season; he now ranks world No.2.

Kaylin Hsieh Sin-yan, Hong Kong’s leading épéeist, is currently world No.13 and leads the rest of a 24-strong Hong Kong squad across the three weapons. 

Vivian Kong Man-wai, whose 2024 Paris épée gold was part of what put Hong Kong fencing on this path, retired from the sport shortly after that win and won’t be competing.

Foil, épée, sabre. What’s the difference?

All three use similar-looking swords but have different rules on where a touch counts and how attacks are scored. Foil restricts valid hits to the torso, épée opens up the entire body, and sabre allows cuts as well as thrusts above the waist. 

Each weapon runs individual and team events for both men and women, which is how the tournament reaches 12 events in total.

When are the moments to watch for at the Fencing World Championships?

The men’s individual foil final falls on 25 July, the same day as the opening ceremony and Choi’s title defence. The men’s team foil follows on 28 July. The rest of the individual finals fill out the days around it: women’s épée on 25 July, men’s épée and women’s sabre on 26 July, then women’s foil and men’s sabre on 27 July. Team events run through to the closing ceremony on 30 July.

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How do I get tickets for the Fencing World Championships in Hong Kong?

Klook is the official ticketing agent, with seated tickets running from HK$250 to HK$1,500 depending on the session. A HK$150 standing option at Summit, AsiaWorld-Expo, is available for 22 to 24 July only; from 25 July onward, standing access is included free with a seated ticket. AsiaWorld-Expo sits next to Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau, connected to several hotels by a short walk.

Where can I follow along if I can’t make it?

The official Fencing World Championships 2026 website and the Fencing Association of Hong Kong’s channels will carry results and schedules as the tournament progresses, alongside the FIE’s own broadcast and streaming coverage of the finals.