It will take place in Rimini from 16 to 20 January 2026. After the national and continental selections, 12 teams land at Sigep involved in 10 competition tests, three Gelato, Pastry, Chocolate and Haute Cuisine.

The World Artisan Gelato Championship

Established in 2003, the Gelato World Cup is a biennial event that celebrates the excellence, creativity and passion of the world’s best artisan gelato professionals.
It takes place at SIGEP WORLD – Rimini, the international heart of the foodservice industry, and the next edition will return in January 2028.

Each edition welcomes 12 international teams, selected through national and continental competitions held in the two years leading up to the competition.
Each team is made up of gelato makers, pastry chefs and chefs, led by a team manager, who are called upon to work as a true creative brigade.

A unique competition of its kind: the teams compete in nine spectacular challenges that test their technique, taste, aesthetics, artistic vision and teamwork, until the coveted title of World Champions of Artisan Gelato is awarded.

The Gelato World Cup is a project by Gelato e Cultura, organised in collaboration with SIGEP WORLD.

A vision that set a precedent
‘We have succeeded in launching the haute couture of artisan gelato worldwide, providing inspiration, creating new flavours and new ways of serving gelato.’
Giancarlo Timballo
Honorary President of the Gelato World Cup – Co-founder

Beyond the competition

‘The Gelato World Cup is not just a competition, but an opportunity for collaboration, discussion and friendship between international professionals. It is a place where the excellence of Made in Italy is celebrated and new trends in artisan gelato are born.’

Sergio Colalucci
President of the Gelato World Cup

Rigour, quality and transparency

‘The level of the competition grows with each edition. The selections, the work of the commissioners and the Control Committee are fundamental to ensuring ever higher standards.’

Sergio Dondoli
Vice-President of the Gelato World Cup

Selections are underway around the world in preparation for the Gelato World Cup, which will take place in Rimini in January 2028.

Following last year’s national selections, this year it is the turn of the continental selections to identify the 12 teams that will qualify for the 12th edition of the GWC:

AMERICA SELECTION – FITHEP
2027

EUROPE SELECTION – Sigep World
January, 2026

ASIA SELECTION – Sigep Asia
July, 2026

To participate in the Gelato World Cup, a team must include a gelato maker, a pastry chef, and a chef, all led by a team manager. Only one team per nation can take part in the World Selections, which grant access to the world final at Sigep in 2028. Selections are first held in the respective country and then at the continental level.

For more information contact the secretariat: segreteria@gelatoworldcup.com.

In Italy, the national selection is the Sigep Gelato d’Oro, held in the days following the GWC at Sigep in Rimini. The winners then compete for one of four European slots in the semi-final, the Gelato Europe Cup, also hosted at Sigep the year before the world cup.

For more information contact the secretariat: segreteria@gelatoworldcup.com.