The biggest event in amateur radio contesting happens only once every four years—and it is finally here. This coming weekend, the 10th World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC 2026) kicks off in the United Kingdom.
Often called the “Olympics of Amateur Radio,” WRTC strips away the advantages of massive home stations and multi-element beams. Instead, it puts 50 of the world’s elite, two-person contesting teams on a completely level playing field to see who possesses the absolute best operating skills on Earth.
Here is everything you need to know to follow the action, hunt the special stations, and earn some exclusive certificates this weekend.
Fast Facts: When and Where?
- The Main Event: Saturday, July 11 to Sunday, July 12, 2026
- Contest Window: 24 Hours straight, starting exactly at 12:00 UTC on Saturday and ending at 12:00 UTC on Sunday.
- The Location: The East Anglia region of South East England (operating sites spread across Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire), with the main headquarters at the Wyboston Lakes Resort.
- The Format: WRTC runs parallel to the IARU HF World Championship. The WRTC teams will be a “contest within a contest,” operating simultaneously on the airwaves.
What Makes WRTC So Unique?
Unlike standard contests where operators use their custom-built home shacks, WRTC is a test of pure human skill. Every single variable is tightly controlled:
- Identical Gear: All 50 teams are given identical antennas, identical power limits (Low Power / 100W max), and similar geographic operating terrain.
- Blind Callsigns: To prevent “friend voting” or regional bias, the unique callsigns assigned to the 50 teams are kept a strict secret until right before the event.
- On-Site Referees: Each team has a dedicated, independent referee sitting right next to them for the full 24 hours to ensure strict adherence to the rules and fair play.
How You Can Participate: “Hunt” the Competitors!
You don’t have to be in the UK to be part of the excitement. In fact, the 50 WRTC teams need you to log contacts with them!
The special 50 callsigns will be officially announced on Thursday, July 9. Once the contest starts on Saturday, these stations will be buzzing across the HF bands on both CW and SSB (primarily on 80m, 40m, 20m, 15m, and 10m).
The Exchange
If you make contact with a WRTC station, the exchange is simple:
- On SSB: Signal Report + ITU Zone (e.g., “59, 27”)
- On CW: Signal Report + ITU Zone (e.g., “599, 27”)
🏅 Earn an Award: The WRTC 2026 team is running an official award program. Depending on how many of the 50 unique stations you successfully log, you can download custom certificates after the event. If you are handy with both CW and SSB, it’s entirely possible to pull in hundreds of WRTC QSOs over the weekend!
How to Follow the Action Live
For the first time in history, this WRTC is going full “e-sports” style with advanced, real-time telemetry.
- The Live Leaderboard: Head over to the World Radio League (WRL) platform. They are hosting the official live scoreboard where you can watch performance metrics, live point tallies, and analytics fluctuate by the minute.
- Live Streams: Keep an eye on the World Radio League and Ham Radio Prep YouTube channels. They will be running daily TV shows and live contest streams with expert commentary so you can see exactly how the teams are handling the pile-ups.
Clear your schedules, fire up the rigs, and get ready for a historic weekend on the HF bands.
