World Bridge Team Championships Overview

What Are the World Bridge Team Championships?

The World Bridge Team Championships are one of the most important events in international contract bridge. Held every two years, the championships bring together the world’s top national teams to compete for world titles in four categories: Open (Bermuda Bowl), Women (Venice Cup), Seniors (d’Orsi Trophy), and Mixed (Wuhan Cup). The competition is organized by the World Bridge Federation (WBF), the global governing body for the game.

Winning a World Bridge Team Championship is the highest honour in competitive bridge, similar to winning an Olympic gold medal in sports. The event is known for its high level of skill, intense strategy, and international representation.

The championshps is organized and run by the World Bridge Federation (WBF), the international governing body for contract bridge. Founded in 1958 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, the WBF is responsible for overseeing world championships, international rankings, and the development of the game worldwide. It works in partnership with five zonal organizations, which represent national bridge bodies across different continents. For the World Bridge Team Championships, the WBF manages host city selection, event scheduling, tournament regulations, and coordination with national and regional bridge organizations. It also oversees tournament officials, scoring systems, and adherence to international rules.

History of the Championships

The World Bridge Team Championships began in 1950 with the inaugural Bermuda Bowl, named after Bermuda, the location of the first event. Over time, the championships expanded to include additional categories:

Venice Cup: Introduced in 1974 for women’s teams, named after Venice, Italy, where the first edition was held.
d’Orsi Trophy: Established in 2000 for senior teams. Ernesto d’Orsi was a respected Brazilian bridge official, administrator, and international figure in the bridge world. He served in several leadership roles within the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and the South American Bridge Confederation. Due to his long service and contributions, the Senior Bowl was renamed the d’Orsi Senior Trophy in his honor in 2005.
Wuhan Cup: Launched in 2019 for mixed teams (comprising male-female pairs), named after Wuhan, China, the host city of the first event.

These four events are contested concurrently during the biennial championships.

The Four Main Events

Bermuda Bowl (Open Teams)
This is the original world championship for open national teams. Teams can include any players selected by their National Bridge Organization (NBO), regardless of gender or age.

Venice Cup (Women’s Teams)
Open to women’s national teams only, this event was created to give female players a global championship of their own. It runs in parallel with the Bermuda Bowl.

d’Orsi Senior Trophy (Senior Teams)
This event is for senior players, currently defined by the WBF as age 63 and older (though the age requirement is adjusted periodically). It gives experienced players a chance to compete at the highest level.

Wuhan Cup (Mixed Teams)
Teams in this event must be made up of male-female pairs. The event promotes gender-balanced competition and was first held in Wuhan, China, in 2019.

All players in these events must represent their country’s NBO and are selected through national qualification or regional championships. Competing in one of these events is the result of significant achievement at the national level.

World Transnational Open Teams Championship

In addition to the four main events, the World Bridge Team Championships include the World Transnational Open Teams, usually held during the second week of the event. This tournament is open to any players who are no longer involved in the main events, and teams can include players from different countries. This format offers a unique opportunity for international partnerships and mixed-nation teams to play in a world-level competition.

Why The World Championships Matters

For bridge players and fans, the World Bridge Team Championships are more than just a tournament. They are a celebration of skill, teamwork, and international friendship. The event showcases bridge as a mind sport requiring mathematical thinking, strategic planning, and psychological insight.

It also serves to highlight the growing popularity of bridge around the world, with teams competing from every continent.

2025 Championships – Herning, Denmark

The next World Bridge Team Championships will be held from August 20 to 31, 2025, in Herning, Denmark. The venue is the MCH Herning Kongrescenter, a large convention centre located in central Denmark.

This venue has hosted major events in the past, including the 2024 European National Team Championships, and is well equipped to host international bridge competitions.

All four main championship events—Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, d’Orsi Trophy, and Wuhan Cup—will be contested in Herning. The 14th World Transnational Open Teams Championship will also take place during the second week, providing additional opportunities for top-level competition.

Previous Winners

For reference, let’s take a look at the winners of the last (2023) World Teams Championships which took place in Marrakech, Morocco:

Bermuda Bowl (Open)

SWITZERLAND: Sjoert Brink, Bas Drijver, Jacek Kalita, Michat Klukowski, Michat Nowosadzki, Pierre Zimmermann, Fernando Piedra npc, Luis Lantar6n coach

Venice Cup (Womens)

ISRAEL: Adi Asulin, Hila Levi, Adel Petelko, Ziv Tottman, Dana Tal, Noga Tal, Israel Yadlin npc

d’Orsi Trophy (Senior)

DENMARK: Klaus Adamsen, Jørgen Cilleborg Hansen, Dennis Koch-Palmund, Dorthe Schaltz, Pe- ter Schaltz, Steen Schou, Peter Magnussen npc, Morten Bilde coach

Wuhan Cup (Mixed)

USA2: Amber Lin, Debbie Rosenberg, Michael Rosenberg, Andrew Rosenthal, Chris Willenken, Migry Zur-Campanile, Jeff Aker npc

Transnational Open Teams

AMISTAD: Rafael Dias, Esteban Juchimowicz Pugliese, Pierre Pejacsevich, Carlos Pellegrini, Silvina Rocca, Marcos Toma