With just two weeks remaining until the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Doha 2025, anticipation has reached new heights following the official draw ceremony, which unveiled the paths that the world’s top players will navigate in their pursuit of glory.

The draw took place in the heart of the Mall of Qatar, where an impressive setup drew the attention of hundreds of curious shoppers. The public staging of the event created a vibrant, celebratory atmosphere, offering fans a unique opportunity to engage with the sport and witness the road to the titles being charted live.

Set to take place from May 17 to 25 at the spectacular Lusail Arena and Qatar University Sports Complex, the 2025 edition marks a full-circle moment for Doha. Twenty-one years after becoming the first Middle Eastern city to host the World Championships in 2004, the Qatari capital is once again preparing to welcome the world for what promises to be a historic and unforgettable event.

Fans can expect nine days of elite-level action across five premier events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles. The format will feature best-of-seven games for singles and best-of-five for doubles, ensuring a thrilling mix of endurance, strategy, and world-class skill in every match.

The young man who has set table tennis alight over the past six months with WTT Grand Smash title wins in China and Singapore, World No. 1 Lin Shidong makes his first men’s singles appearance on the World Championships Finals stage.

Positioned at the summit of the draw, Lin’s route to glory is stacked with challenges. WTT Champions Montpellier winner Felix Lebrun and his exceptionally gifted older brother Alexis Lebrun are positioned in that side of the draw, as is Hugo Calderano, who sensationally beat Lin Shidong to the ITTF Men’s World Cup just a couple of weeks back.

Making an impactful statement with his dominant run to the men’s singles title at WTT Champions Chongqing in March, all eyes are fixed on Wang Chuqin as the Chinese superstar touches down in Doha on a mission. Beaten at the final hurdle two years back in Durban, Wang heads to the opposite side of the draw along with 2021 silver medallist Truls Moregard, Japanese ace Tomokazu Harimoto and former World No.1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

Sun Yingsha is once again favourite to hold aloft the Geist Prize. Topping the women’s singles seeding list, Sun steps into a draw packed with talent, with Shin Yubin, Mima Ito and former medallist Wang Yidi all potential rivals down the line. ShaSha will have to be at her very best if she’s to go back-to-back, with 2021 champion Wang Manyu desperate to get her hands back on the prestigious trophy. As the No. 2 seed, she’s placed in the opposite half of the draw, meaning a repeat of the 2021 final with Yingsha is very much on the cards.

Elsewhere, first-ever World Championships finals appearances in the women’s singles discipline await Miwa Harimoto and Satsuki Odo.

The 16-year-old sensation Harimoto is placed in the half of the draw containing Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong, while Odo heads to the opposite side.

Qatari international referee Hassan al-Amri, who is Vice-Chairman of the ITTF Referees Committee and General Referee of the World Championship, presided over the event. Joining him in conducting the draw were national team player Mohammed Abdul Wahab, women’s team player Aya Mohammed, rising talent Sultan al-Kuwari, youth team star Maryam al-Ali, and Swedish table tennis legend and Qatar national team coach Peter Carlsson.

A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the tournament’s official mascots, Saree and Sareea, who made a dramatic entrance via an escalator dressed in traditional Qatari attire, delighting the audience.

The ceremony was attended by Jassim bin Rashid al-Buenain, Secretary-General of the Qatar Olympic Committee; Khalil bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar, Arab, and Asian Table Tennis Federations and First Vice-President of the ITTF; and Steve Dainton, Executive Director of the ITTF.

Al-Mohannadi expressed his confidence in Qatar’s readiness to host the event: “We are confident that the World Table Tennis Championship will be written in gold letters in the history of hosting the Championships and will be among the best ever.”

He confirmed that preparations are nearly complete, with final equipment installation scheduled at Lusail and University halls in the coming days. “We are now fully prepared to host this global event. All that remains is the setup, which will be completed by May 10. We will begin welcoming the participating teams’ official delegations starting May 11.”