The US leg of World of Coffee took place over the weekend in San Diego, California and boy was it ever a doozy. The show floor was humming, the parties were bumping, but one event in particular is worth further inquiry here on a blurry post-show Monday, and that is the 2026 World Latte Art Championship.
It is a bit of a breakthrough moment for the US. The World Latte Art Championship has been held annually since 2005—save for the COVID years—and in that time, the US has neither produced a world champion nor hosted the event. This is due in part to America’s spotty participation in the event. And in fact, only five individuals have ever represented the US on the world stage in the event: Simeon Bricker in 2014, Angie Chung in 2015, Piyapat “Flook” Lapteerawut in 2022, 2023, and 2025, Wenbo Yang in 2024, and this year Marco Monzon.
And at least one of those streaks has now come to an end. Joining Monzon in San Diego were 29 other national champion latte artists from around the world to show off the artistry of the craft and stretch the limits of what is possible with microfoam. Over three days of competition, the field was whittled down to just six for Sunday, the Finals.
The pours, incredible. The designs, mind-bending. But in the end, there could be only one champion.
And the champion for 2026 is Bala from Taiwan. His original free-pour designs included a raccoon, a stunning giraffe, and a red panda (in a macchiato!). For Bala—who competes mononymously, using only their first name—this is his third time representing Taiwan in the World Latte Art Championship, with a previous high placement of third in the world in 2022. And now he is a World Champion.
So without further ado, here are the results for the 2026 World Latte Art Championship.
Champion: Bala – Taiwan
Runner-Up: Jacky Chang – Malaysia
Third: Zking (Zhang Yuanyi) – China
4th: Bank Sarawut – Thailand
5th: Jay Kim – South Korea
6th: Tatsuya Ishibashi – Japan
Congratulations to all the Finalists!
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
All media via World Coffee Championships
