In a letter to the presidents of the National Federations, World Karate Federation President Antonio Espinós has announced a quiet revolution in how the youth world championships will be seen. For the first time in WKF history, the 2026 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships — Bielsko-Biała, Poland, 14–18 October — will be available in full via streaming on the official WKF YouTube channel.
The message is institutional, but its reach is personal: from the first eliminations to the medal bouts, the tatami in southern Poland will no longer be a closed room for those who can travel. It will be an open window for fans, clubs and federations worldwide.
A first for the youth world championships
Espinós writes that the full coverage of the championships "represents an important step for our sport and our National Federations," and that it further demonstrates the federation's goal of making karate "even more universal around the world." The claim is precise. This is not a highlight reel after the fact, nor a partial finals package. It is the whole competitive arc of the Cadet, Junior and Under-21 programme, carried on the channel that already serves as the WKF's public broadcast home.
Bielsko-Biała is no stranger to youth karate. Our preview of the 14th edition of these championships has already traced the city's place on the calendar, the hall at Pod Dębowcem and the shape of the week from opening day to closing ceremony. What the President's letter adds is the missing layer of access: the same event, watched from any continent.
From the opening stages to the medals
The letter is explicit about what "in full" means. Coverage will run from the eliminations to the medal bouts. Fans will be able to follow athletes of their own federation "from the opening stages of the competition through to the medal bouts" — the long morning of kata eliminations as much as the final bow for gold.
That continuity matters in youth championships. Cadets, juniors and Under-21 athletes often build their week over several days of weigh-ins, early rounds and repechages before a medal bout ever appears on a highlights clip. Full streaming treats that journey as part of the story, not as a footnote.
The official stream will be carried on the WKF YouTube channel (youtube.com/@WKFKarateWorldChamps). The letter does not set out technical schedules or tatami-by-tatami grids; it sets the principle: the championships will be covered, and they will be covered end to end.
Federations as the relay
Espinós does not present the announcement as a finished broadcast product. He presents it as a shared opportunity. "The involvement of all our National Federations is crucial to making the most of this opportunity," he writes, asking presidents to share the news through websites, social media channels, official federation communications and clubs.
The logic is simple. A global stream only reaches the dojo if the dojo knows it exists. National Federations are asked to close that gap so that local fans can stay with their athletes across five days in Poland. The WKF Communication Department, the letter adds, is ready to assist with information or materials to promote the streaming and maximise its reach.
Universal karate, one click closer
What remains on the record is clear and limited. There is a President's letter to the NFs. There is a first: full streaming of these World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships on the official WKF YouTube channel. There is a host city and a date — Bielsko-Biała, 14–18 October 2026 — and a call for federations to amplify the news.
The primary source remains Espinós's message to the presidents. The competition itself still awaits its champions. What has already changed is the frame around the tatami: for the first time, the youth worlds will ask the world not only to come to Poland, but to watch from wherever karate is practised.
Sources
- Primary: Letter from WKF President Antonio Espinós to National Federation presidents announcing full YouTube streaming of the 2026 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships (Bielsko-Biała, 14–18 October); image held by Xavier Servolle. No dedicated WKF news-centre article confirming the announcement was found as of 5 October 2026.
- WKF event page — 2026 World Cadet, Junior & U21 Championships, Bielsko-Biala: https://www.wkf.net/world-championships/championship/!/443/2026-world-cadet-junior-u21-championships-bielsko-biala
- Official WKF YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WKFKarateWorldChamps
- karate.news preview — Bielsko-Biała 2026: https://karate.news/en/articles/bielsko-biala-2026-wkf-world-cadet-junior-u21-championships-preview
Photo: WKF / Xavier Servolle
