The President of the World Bridge Federation, Franck Riehm, has formally convened the WBF Congress 2026, which will be held on Friday, 21 August 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at the International Congress Centre (MCK) in Katowice, Poland.
In accordance with Article 22 of the Statutes, the ordinary Congress is held every two years in even-numbered years. The 2026 edition takes place alongside the World Bridge Series and constitutes the supreme deliberative body of the Federation, in which all affiliated National Bridge Organisations are represented through their authorised delegates.
Agenda
The Congress will examine and discuss the following items, as set out in the official letter of convocation dated 22 April 2026:
- Roll call to determine quorum
- Approval of minutes of the 2024 Congress meeting
- Appointment of the Scrutinising Committee
- Report of the President, with discussion and approval
- Report of the Treasurer, including auditor’s report, with discussion and approval
- Election of three Members of the WBF Executive Council for the legislature 2026 / 2030
- Ratification of admission and removal of affiliated members decided by the Executive Council
- Unfinished business
- New business
- Adjournment
Participation and accreditation
Pursuant to Article 21 of the Statutes, each NBO in good standing is entitled to be represented at the Congress by one delegate, and pursuant to Article 25 each NBO is entitled to one vote. Only delegates and duly appointed proxies present at the Congress may cast votes.
In accordance with Article 25 of the By-Laws, all delegates and other persons attending must register at the Accreditation Desk before the opening of the meeting and be accredited by the Honorary Secretary, presenting an identification document and, where applicable, an official letter from the NBO confirming the appointment.
Should an NBO be unable to be represented by its own delegate, Article 26 of the By-Laws permits the granting of a proxy to another accredited delegate by means of the official WBF Proxy Form. No delegate may hold more than one proxy, nor cast more than two votes including their own.
Quorum
Under Article 24 of the Statutes, the quorum for ordinary business consists of duly accredited delegates from at least one third of the NBOs in good standing. For the election of members to the Executive Council, the quorum is raised to one half of the members plus one.
Candidatures for the Executive Council
In accordance with Article 29 of the By-Laws, nominations for Executive Council members to be elected by the Congress must be submitted in writing or by e-mail to the Honorary Secretary, accompanied by a signed declaration of the candidate confirming good standing with the NBO of the country of which they are a citizen or bona fide resident, and compliance with all conditions of admissibility set out in the Statutes and By-Laws. The candidate’s CV must be received by the Honorary Secretary at least 30 days before the date of the Congress, namely by 00:00 CET on 22 July 2026.
Once the nominations deadline has expired, the details and CVs of the candidates will be circulated by e-mail to the affiliated NBOs and published on the WBF website. Save in cases of force majeure, candidates must be physically present at the Congress at the time of the election.
Article 30 of the By-Laws provides that, only if the candidates from at least three different Zonal Conferences are insufficient, NBOs may present further candidates from the floor at the opening of the Congress, subject to the conditions specified therein.
The election will take place by secret ballot in accordance with Article 31 of the By-Laws: each NBO may cast a vote for up to three candidates, provided they come from three different Zonal Conferences. Ballots with more than three preferences, or with more than one candidate from the same Zonal Conference, shall be void.
Convocation of the 2026 WBF Congress
