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The World Indoor Bowls Championships shouldn’t be confused with the World Bowls Indoor Championships, which, even though they are organized by the International Indoor Bowls Council (IIBC), the sports governing body, and are officially sanctioned world championships by them, carry slightly lower significance than the event we’re talking about here – the World Indoor Bowls Championships.

In the same way, bowls (lawn bowls) and bowling (tenpin bowling) shouldn’t be confused. Bowls involves rolling weighted, curved balls (bowls) on grass towards a small target (jack), aiming for proximity (emphasizes precision and judging curves), while bowling uses heavy, finger-holed balls on a polished lane to knock over pins, aiming for strikes/spares (focuses on power and lane technique).

The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships will be held on January 9 – January 25, 2026, in Hopton-on-Sea, England, United Kingdom. The tournament series is widely regarded as the most prestigious indoor bowls event on the international calendar. It attracts the top-ranked indoor/field bowlers from around the world to compete across multiple disciplines, is broadcast and streamed to a large global audience, and is a key showcase for elite indoor bowls competition.

This year, just like in previous few, the WBT is assisted in the organization of the World Indoor Bowls Championships by the partnering sponsor, Ambassador Cruise Line, and features coordination with national bowls bodies and broadcasters.

Venue, Competitor’s Structure, and Prize Pool Overview for the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships

The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships will be held at Potters Resorts in Hopton-on-Sea (near Great Yarmouth), in the county of Norfolk — a long-established host for this event, with competitions staged on indoor synthetic carpet surfaces in the resort’s International Arena.

The championship features the world’s top indoor bowlers, including the World Bowls Tour Top 16-ranked players, competing in marquee events such as the Open Singles Circuit, Open Pairs, etc. Exact participant counts for 2026 haven’t yet been officially published, but, e.g., traditionally, the open singles draw involves the top 16 ranked players, with additional qualifiers and entrants for pairs and mixed events reflecting a field of several dozen competitors across all disciplines.

Official details for the 2026 prize fund have not yet been published publicly. However, for the 2025 edition, prize money was reported as follows:

• Open singles and women’s singles winner: ~£50,000
• Open pairs and mixed pairs winners: ~£20,000 (shared between the pair)

Because 2026 follows the same structure and prestige level, similar prize money levels or increases are expected once confirmed by the organizers, but formal figures haven’t been released yet.

Participating Bowlers in the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships and Qualification Overview

To clarify first, the World Indoor Bowls Championships aren’t a national team event. They’re a professional, invitation-based individual and pairs competition. Main categories of participants:

Open singles (men)

• 16 elite professional players
• Generally, the top-ranked players on the World Bowls Tour Order of Merit (World Bowls Tour OOM)
• This is the headline event of the championships

Women’s singles (matchplay)

• 16 elite female players
• Includes top performers from the WBT Women’s rankings
• Often a mix of established champions and rising players

Open pairs (men)

• 16 pairs (32 players)
• Pairs may be:
  • Same nationality or mixed nationality
  • Regular season partnerships or special invitations

Mixed pairs

• 16 mixed pairs (male + female)
• Features leading singles players paired strategically for the event

Across all disciplines, the tournament typically features 60–80 elite players, many competing in more than one event.

Qualification is ranking- and invitation-based, not open-entry.

World Bowls Tour Rankings (primary path)

• Players qualify mainly through their World Bowls Tour OOM
• Rankings are earned by:
  • Performing in WBT-sanctioned indoor tournaments
  • Accumulating points across the season
• The top 16-ranked players are usually invited automatically for singles events

Defending champions

• Reigning champions (singles or pairs) are normally granted automatic entry
• This ensures title holders can defend their crown regardless of ranking fluctuations

Organizer wildcards

• The World Bowls Tour may issue wildcard invitations to:
  • Former champions
  • High-profile international players
  • Athletes returning from injury

Pairs & mixed pairs selection

• Pairs are:
  • Either rank-based invitations
  • Or direct selections by the WBT
• Some pairs are invited due to:
  • Strong past results
  • Proven chemistry
  • Entertainment value for broadcast audiences

What this means competitively:

• No amateur qualifiers
• No open national trials
• Only established, proven indoor bowls professionals compete
• The field represents the absolute top tier of the indoor bowls world

This is why the World Indoor Bowls Championships is often described as the indoor bowls equivalent of a world championship finals, rather than a traditional open world championship.

Structure and Match Format of the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships

The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships will be played across multiple event-specific stages, not a single unified bracket. Structurally, the tournament can be divided into three main competitive phases – all knockouts.

Stage 1 (fields are invitation-only)

• Dates: 9–13 January 2026
• Incudes:
  • Open singles round of 16
  • Women’s singles round of 16
  • Open pairs round of 16
  • Mixed pairs round of 16

Stage 2

• Dates: 14–22 January 2026
• Includes:
  • Quarterfinals
  • Semifinals

Stage 3

• Dates: 23–25 January 2026
• Includes finals, which are played on showcase days:
  • Open singles final
  • Women’s singles final
  • Open pairs final
  • Mixed pairs final

Match formats vary by event, but all matches follow classic indoor bowls scoring.

Open singles & women’s singles format

• Best-of-three sets
• Each set:
  • First to seven points
• If sets are tied 1–1:
  • A three-end tiebreak is played
  • Highest total score after three ends wins

Scoring

• Each end awards:
  • One point per bowl closer than the opponent’s nearest bowl

Open pairs & mixed pairs format

• Best-of-three sets
• Each set:
  • First to five points
• If tied 1–1:
  • Three-end tiebreak decides the match

Team structure

• Two players per team
• Players alternate bowls within each end

The tournament uses a single-elimination (knockout) system across all events. So:

• No group stage
• No second chances
• Lose once = eliminated
• Winners advance immediately to the next round

The 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships Favorites, Betting Options, and Where to Watch

Using the official World Bowls Series (WBS) October 2025 rankings to ground the favorites list for the 2026 World Indoor Bowls Championships, here’s a breakdown of the top contenders.

Open singles favorites

• Jason Banks (Scotland)
• Jack McShane (Australia)
• Corey Wedlock (Australia)
• Ross Owen (Wales)

Women’s singles favorites

• Selina Goddard (New Zealand)
• Olivia Cartwright (Australia)
• Nurul Alyani Binti Jamil (Malaysia)
• Emily Kernick (England)

Pairs & mixed pairs favorites

• Pairings involving the top singles names above — especially Banks, McShane, Cartwright, Goddard, and Cottrell — tend to be among the strongest teams on paper.
• Defending pairs champions (like the 2025 mixed champs Banks & Riva) retain strong favorite status if they play together again.

UK & Irish sportsbooks highlight offer markets on indoor bowls. Some international betting sites online include bowls markets during major championships.

Common markets include:

• Outright winner (singles and pairs)
• Match winner
• Correct score (2-0 / 2-1 in sets)
• Handicap markets (availability varies by region and betting provider)

Tip: Because indoor bowls uses a best-of-three set format, underdog players with strong rankings (e.g., Wedlock or Cartwright) may offer better value in correct-score and match-winner markets.

Primary broadcast & streaming options

• BBC Sport (UK) — usually live coverage + highlights for major stages.
• BBC iPlayer (UK) — live streaming and replays.
• World Bowls Tour / Potters Resorts digital channels — additional live streams, highlights, player interviews, and match reports.

Pros and Cons of the Open Singles Favorites