The 2027 World Barista Championship will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from 28 April to 1 May as part of World of Coffee Tokyo.
The announcement from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) was made on 25 September during the SCAJ2025 World Specialty Coffee Conference. The fourth edition of the World of Coffee Asia series of exhibitions will take place at Tokyo Big Sight and feature the 27th annual World Barista Championship.
This is the first time the competition will take place in Japan since 2007, when James Hoffmann of the United Kingdom claimed the top spot with single-estate coffees from Costa Rica and Kenya.
In a LinkedIn post, the SCA said: “Tokyo’s vibrant specialty coffee culture and strategic location make it the perfect host for this global gathering and competition. Having first hosted the World Barista Championship in 2007, this event marks the competition’s return after 20 years.
“Produced by our partners at EXPORUM and hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of Japan, World of Coffee Tokyo will continue our shared purpose to make coffee better by supporting trade and community among all stakeholders along the value chain.”
World of Coffee Tokyo 2027 will feature exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees from across the coffee sector. In May 2025, it was announced World of Coffee Asia 2026 would take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 7 to 9 May.
