Following a Paris 2024 Paralympic Games that revolutionised Para sport once again – setting benchmarks for gender equality and driving innovation in accessibility – the International Table Tennis Federation announced a revamped three-tier structure that’s destined to push our sport even further across the world.  

From Wednesday to Sunday this week, Lignano in north-east Italy hosts the first instalment of the Future tier of competition, at which an exciting lineup of 197 players from five continents will bring this new era to life. 

Preparing to light up Lignano 

A familiar and adored stop on the circuit, 2025 marks a special milestone as Lignano hosts Para table tennis competition for the 20th time. A spectacular rollcall of attendees is set for this celebration, including some beloved Italian players. 

Six months have now passed since Giada Rossi and Matteo Parenzan took the Paris Games by storm, winning gold medals in the WS2 and MS6 categories, respectively. And the duo are both confirmed to return to the table this week in search of home honours.  

Rossi rose to the pinnacle of sport in Paris. Her Paralympic title in France came after she claimed two successive Paralympic bronze medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Rossi returns after a whirlwind few months recuperating. 

Parenzan’s Paralympic gold came after a semi-final victory over the Tokyo 2020 champion Ian Seidenfeld of the USA, a couple of months after the Italian’s 21st birthday. Lignano provides an opportunity for Parenzan to build on a summer he’ll never forget. Both champions are expected to receive tremendous support from the home crowd in Lignano, with Italian fans eager to celebrate their Paralympic heroes on home soil for the first time since their golden performances in Paris.

With entrants from around the world, it’s more than just the Italians you need to watch out for, though. Paris MS2 silver medallist Jiri Suchanek, of Czechia, is confirmed to compete, along with Paralympic multi-medallist Thomas Bruechle, who will represent Germany in the MS3.  

In the WS1 category, the quality is sure to be high. The classification’s two top-ranked women, Dorota Buclaw of Poland and Aino Tapola of Finland, head to Italy put in statement performances. 

How the three tiers work 

Announced in November 2024, the structure of the new ITTF World Para Circuit incorporates three separate tiers: Future, Challenger and Elite.  

• Future is designed as a development point for emerging talents to hone their skills on the international stage and build their ranking. 

• Challenger is the next step on the ladder. Competitions will be larger and with a higher intensity. With up to eight Challenger events in 2025, each one promises to create big stories and develop exciting rivalries. 

• Elite is where you can expect the very best players of Para table tennis to meet. Huge showdowns, moments of pure magic and exhilarating competition are all guaranteed. 

Each event in 2025 has something major at stake: valuable ranking points. Points will be awarded based on performances at each event, with the rankings adjusting throughout the year to track who has been performing the most consistently. 

For 2025, there is a one-year transition period which allows players to defend those points accumulated over the previous 52 weeks. 

What’s next in the new structure? 

Lignano is just the start of a thrilling few months that will play a huge part in determining those rankings going forward.  

For Future, there are just a couple of days’ rest after Lignano, with the Costa Brava (ESP) leg of competition beginning on 11 March. Two further instalments take place in April, with an event in Lahti, Finland (preceded by an under-23 competition), before the action switches to Jordan’s largest city and capital, Amman.   

Additionally, Challenger events are on the horizon for March and April. The first of those comes in the final week of March, the action taking place in Wladyslawowo, Poland. April features competitions in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital. 

There are also the exciting matters of continental championships to come towards the end of the year, too, as Auckland (NZL), Sao Paulo (BRA), Beijing (CHN), Giza (EGY) and Helsingborg (SWE) host the strongest from their respective continents.  

How to follow the action 

Select live streaming of this extended weekend’s competition will be available to watch on our YouTube channel.  

To keep up to date with the action as it happens, follow the schedule and results page on our website.