BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- With one month to go until the opening of the 2024 ITTF Mixed Team World Cup, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) unveiled the 16 qualified teams on Friday.

The 16 teams are: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, the United States, and Hong Kong, China.

The ITTF Mixed Team World Cup will be held in Chengdu, China from December 1-8, with China aiming to retain their crown from the inaugural 2023 edition on home soil.

This year's tournament features an innovative three-stage format. In the first stage, the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four, with the highest-ranked teams placed in different groups. Each group will compete in a complete round-robin format.

In the second stage, the top two teams from each group in the first stage will compete in a round-robin format, while teams that have already faced each other in the first stage won't play again, with their previous results carrying forward.

In the third stage, the top four teams in the standings of the second stage qualify for the knockout phase, featuring both semifinals and placement matches. The semifinal matchups are determined by ranking, with the first-placed team facing the fourth-placed one, while second plays third. Each team's journey concludes with either the final or the bronze medal match.

According to the ITTF, the comprehensive format, totaling 52 matches across all stages, ensures that the eventual champions must demonstrate both consistency through the round-robin phases and excellence in the knockout stage.

The order of play for the opening three matches will be mixed doubles, women's singles (player not playing mixed doubles), and men's singles (player not playing mixed doubles), while the fourth and fifth matches, between women's doubles and men's doubles, will be determined after the first match by the captain of the lower-ranked team.

All individual matches are played in a best-of-three game format, with a result of 3-0 or 2-1, and team matches end when one team accumulates eight games.

The ITTF said the tournament represents a unique celebration of gender equality in table tennis, with each team featuring between three and four players of each gender.

"This format has already proven to be a hit with fans and players alike during last year's inaugural event, combining men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches throughout the competition," it said. Enditem

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