World of Coffee is heading to Panama. The country renown for producing some of the best coffee in the world—or the most expensive at least—has been named as the host nation for the Specialty Coffee Association’s premier event in 2026.

Announced via press release on Monday, December 11th, World of Coffee Panama will take place in October of 2026 at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City, marking the first time the SCA event will occur in not just Central America but in a producing country. It will exist alongside, not in replacement of, the other annual WoC events in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos had this to say:

We are thrilled to bring World of Coffee, our premier coffee trade show, to Central America for the very first time. World of Coffee Panama 2026 is our first-ever trade show in a coffee-producing country and this marks a significant step in our commitment to promoting coffee consumption within producing countries, a key element for the sustainability of coffee and in alignment with the Specialty Coffee Association’s sustainability agenda. World of Coffee Panama is the ideal platform for coffee professionals, producers, and traders worldwide to connect, network, and foster innovation in the specialty coffee sector.

Specialty Coffee Association of Panama president James Hunter Tedman adds:

In SCAP we are very proud that the Specialty Coffee Association has chosen our country for the first Latin American World of Coffee. We see it as a recognition of the hard work Panama has done positioning our coffees as one of the best in the world, as the best expression of “Specialty Coffee”. The World of Coffee Panama will highly impact many industries in our country, tourism, commerce and the service sectors will benefit tremendously. Our partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Panama will strengthen our Association and secure the success of this project.

Still nearly three years out, the SCA hasn’t made any announcements as to which, if any, of the World Coffee Championship events will take place at World of Coffee Panama 2026. For more information, visit the Specialty Coffee Association’s official website.