Paul Drinkhall, representing Middlesbrough, will compete in the England Men's team at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London next week.

Drinkhall, who has competed internationally as a senior England player for more than two decades, will join Sam Walker, Tom Jarvis, Connor Green and Joe Hunter in the men’s team event.

At the tournament, 36-year-old Drinkhall said: "[Preparations] have been going well. Everyone’s been sort of individually preparing with league matches and things like that, but over the past couple of weeks we’ve come together and got the team dynamics going so everyone’s excited to get started.”

“I think the fact that it’s on home soil is a huge thing; you know, I’ve been to many big events around the world, but to have it at home is really exciting … we’re all very excited, but we’ve all got to make sure we stay focused on our job.”

The 2026 edition of this competition marks the 100th anniversary of the inaugural ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, which also took place in England.

It will feature 64 men’s and women’s teams from around the world competing across 13 days of action at two iconic London venues: OVO Arena, Wembley and the Copper Box Arena.

On the occasion of the tournament being a celebration of the inaugural championships, Middlesbrough-born Drinkhall said, "It's huge for us; I mean, playing the world championships in your home country is going to be huge, but to have it, like you say, with the 100 years is extra special, and I’m sure it will be a great event for the players, spectators, and everybody alike."

“I think it’s an exciting time for table tennis in this country, but also … it’s an exciting time for the whole of the table tennis community, and I think it’s a great time for table tennis to try and push on.”

England, as the hosts of the tournament, will join the top seven teams in Stage 1A at the OVO Arena, Wembley, to determine their seeding placements ahead of the main draw.

England's men are in Group 1 alongside China, Sweden, and the Korea Republic, while Group 2 contains France, Japan, Germany, and Chinese Taipei.

On competing against some of the best teams in the world, 2-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Drinkhall said, "I think it’s very interesting for the players and the fans; they usually have to wait until the later stages of the big events for the top teams to be playing each other, so for us to have a chance to play the top teams is a really interesting one.”

“Almost, especially us being number eight out of the top eight in the groups; we really have nothing to lose in the early stages, so it’s a great opportunity for everybody to go out there and give it what they’ve got against the best in the world.”

England's men’s team is guaranteed four matches against some of the best teams in the world, allowing the top players and nations to test themselves outside of the main draw.

The top seven teams will then join the highest-ranked teams from the remaining 56 nations in the knockout round of 32, after which they will progress through the final three rounds leading up to the final on 10th May.

On what the tournament means to the new and returning table tennis fans in England, 3-time Olympian Drinkhall said, "I do think it’s going to be a great event; whether you know and like table tennis or you don’t know much about table tennis, I think either way when you go you’ll be happily surprised at how good an event like this can be and how high the level of the players from around the world is."

“The experienced supporters will know somewhat what to expect, but I think again a special event like this tournament, the 100-year anniversary in London in Wembley and the Cooper Box, I think it’s almost got to be like no other event, so make sure you’re there and make sure you don’t miss out because I think it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The championship will begin on 28th April with the England men's team’s first match taking place against China on Saturday, 2nd May.