London to host 2027 Quadball World Cup at Barn Elms

Barn Elms Sports Centre will stage the 2027 Quadball World Cup, giving the sport’s premier international event a London address from July 23 to July 25, 2027. For a competition that crowns world champions every other year, the choice puts quadball in one of the world’s most recognizable sports cities and gives the tournament a platform built for scale, travel access and media reach.

The International Quadball Association and QuadballUK have tied the event to a proven local organizer in Matt Bateman, QuadballUK’s director, who will serve as tournament director. That matters because London already has a recent quadball blueprint: the city hosted the 2024 European Games, which the IQA annual report says took place July 27-28 at King’s House Sports Grounds and welcomed 15 participating nations. Barn Elms itself adds the practical backbone, a 52-acre multi-sport site in Barnes with 16 tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, artificial hockey surfaces, grass pitches, a gym and changing rooms, managed by Enable on behalf of Wandsworth Council.

The World Cup has become the sport’s clearest measuring stick. The IQA describes it as its premier international quadball event, and the last edition in Richmond, Virginia, produced a familiar result at the top: the United States beat Germany 140*-50 to win the title. The federation’s host history also shows how the event has moved through major European markets, with Florence in 2018 and Frankfurt in 2016, while the 2025 tournament was set for Brussels and Tubize, Belgium, with group play split into three pools of five teams and four pools of four.

London’s bid is also being framed around access and trust. QuadballUK says quadball is a full-contact mixed-gender sport that welcomes trans and non-binary players, and the IQA says its mission includes promoting gender equity and inclusivity through international sporting events. The two organizations say the safety of players, volunteers, officials and spectators is a top priority, with continued monitoring and action as needed.

That emphasis fits a city that sees major sport as more than spectacle. London City Hall says major events can support diversity, tackling hate, skills and employment opportunities and community cohesion. Put together, Barn Elms gives quadball more than a venue. It gives the World Cup a test case for whether the sport can look bigger, safer and more credible while it pushes toward a broader European footprint.