The ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2024 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group, sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), organized by the Sports Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group and World Table Tennis Management Group Limited (WTMG), and co-organized by the Macau Table Tennis General Association, will be held at the Galaxy Arena from 15 to 21 April. Tickets to the event will go on sale starting 22 March.
A press conference was held today (19 March) where the organizers introduced the details and ticketing information for the event. The press conference was attended by Mounir Bessah, Deputy Secretary General of ITTF; Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau; Philip Cheng, Director of Galaxy Entertainment Group; and Hoi Kong Hong, President of the Macau Table Tennis General Association. Furthermore, the event’s flag-handover ceremony was held at the press conference.
Mounir Bessah remarked that today marks a momentous occasion for the Table Tennis Family as ITTF proudly announced the return of the World Cup. Over the years, Macao has consistently embraced table tennis sport with open arms and has successfully hosted numerous prestigious WTT events. Anticipation was palpable among players eager to grace the courts of Macao, with world-class facilities and a great experience for all participants and spectators alike. He also extended ITTF’s gratitude to the Macao SAR Government and the organizers as the entire Table Tennis Family from around the globe anticipates the return of the Men's and Women's World Cups in April, and is confident that Macao will once again demonstrate its capacity in hosting table tennis events at the highest level.
Pun Weng Kun noted in his speech that the several large-scale international table tennis competitions held in Macao over the past few years have created a public craze for the sport and boosted the development of the local sports industry. Sanctioning the World Cup to be held in Macao is a testimony of ITTF’s trust and recognition for Macao’s ability in hosting major international competitions. He anticipates the event with very thrilling matches to come.
Philip Cheng said the ITTF World Cup will be relaunched and debuted in Macau and the event marks a glamorous addition to Macau’s growing portfolio of international sports events, a significant driver for the city’s sports industry, and the first top-tier international table tennis tournament to be held at the Galaxy Arena. The top-notch, professional and cutting-edge equipment and amenities of the Galaxy Arena, along with GEG’s “World Class, Asian Heart” service philosophy, will undoubtedly elevate the event’s exceptional experience and further promote Macau as a “City of Sports” to the world.
World-leading players to gather in Macao
The ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2024 presented by Galaxy Entertainment Group will take place at the Galaxy Arena from 15 to 21 April, featuring 48 male and 48 female elite players who will vie for the championship in the city. The world-class lineup include: Fan Zhendong, the men’s singles champion of the 2023 Table Tennis World Championships and is going to defend his crown in the ITTF Men's World Cup this year; Chen Meng, who is going to defend her title in the ITTF Women’s World Cup this year; Sun Yingsha, the women’s singles champion of the 2023 Table Tennis World Championships; Lin Shidong and Kuai Man, the Under-19 Boys’ and Girls’ singles champions of the ITTF World Youth Championships; and players who have qualified through the Continental Cups and world ranking.
The event will be held in two stages. In Stage 1, players will be divided into 16 groups of 3 for round-robin matches. The world’s top 16 players will be assigned to 16 different groups; the rest will be drawn in using a modified snake system and players from the same country will not enter the same group. Each match will feature 4 games, and the player securing the top spot in each group will enter the knockout draw of Stage 2 featuring best-of-seven game matches.
Tickets to open for sale from 10 a.m. on 22 March
The Stage 1 matches from 15 to 17 April are divided into two sessions per day with the first session starting at 9:30 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m. For the knockout matches on 18 and 19 April, the first session will start at 11 a.m. and the second at 6 p.m. The semi-finals will be held on 20 April starting at 6 p.m. and the final on 21 April starting at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets to the matches will be on sale from 10 a.m. on 22 March. Members of the public can buy tickets via Damai application and mini program, the mCoin platform of Mpay, Cityline, MacauTicket.com, by telephone, or at Kong Seng outlets in Macao or directly at the venue Galaxy Arena during the event period. The tickets are priced between MOP 100 and MOP 1,200, depending on the seat section and match session. All ticket prices are in Macao Patacas or Renminbi, and same prices apply to both Macao Patacas and Hong Kong dollars. Each person can purchase a maximum of eight tickets per session. Every person taller than 1.2m in height requires a ticket for admission. Children who are less than 1.2m in height and do not occupy a seat can enter the venue free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult at all times, and each adult can only bring along one child.
Ticket discounts for students and elders on specific dates
Holders of a full-time Macao Student Card and Macao residents aged 65 or above can enjoy a 20% discount when purchasing tickets at Kong Seng outlets for matches held between 15 and 19 April; each person is limited to one discounted ticket per session subject to ticket availability.
For the latest updates on the event, please visit the ITTF official website at www.ittf.com, the Sports Bureau website at www.sport.gov.mo, or follow the ‘Macao Major Sporting Events’ Facebook page, ‘澳門體育’ (Macao Sports) WeChat official account and ‘澳門特區體育局’ (Macao SAR Sports Bureau) WeChat subscription account.
