England have been handed a swift rematch with Japan in the draw for the World Team Championships.
The two nations clashed in England’s opening match of the ITTF Team World Cup at the Copper Box Arena last week, with Japan registering a 3-1 victory – Liam Pitchford getting the England point with a three-set win over 14-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto.
They also met in the semi-finals of the last World Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2016, when the score was also 3-1 to Japan – Sam Walker getting England’s win on that occasion against Yuya Oshima.
England were drawn into Group C of the Championship Division for the World Team Championships, which will be held in Halmstad, Sweden, between April 29 and May 6.
Japan are top seeds in the group, which also features Chinese Taipei, Belgium, Belarus and Singapore.
England women will feature in the Second Division and are in Group H alongside Chile, Switzerland, Serbia, Dominican Republic and Canada.
Men’s draw
Championship Division
Group A: Germany, Hong Kong, Sweden, Egypt, Romania, Slovenia
Group B: China, Portugal, Brazil, Russia, Czech Republic, North Korea
Group C: Japan, Chinese Taipei, England, Belgium, Belarus, Singapore
Group D: France, South Korea, Austria, India, Croatia, Poland
Second Division
Group E: Chile, Denmark, Ukraine, Thailand, Netherlands, Canada
Group F: Slovakia, Argentina, Nigeria, Australia, Turkey, Bulgaria
Group G: Italy, Hungary, Greece, Paraguay, Ecuador, Serbia
Group H: Spain, Iran, Kazakhstan, USA, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico
Third Division
Group I: Mexico, Uzbekistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Congo Brazzaville, South Africa
Group J: Cuba, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Peru, Tunisia
Group K: Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Algeria, Jordan, Togo
Group L: Malaysia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Macao, Finland, Israel
Women’s draw
Championship Division
Group A: China, Singapore, Russia, India, Belarus, Sweden
Group B: Japan, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine, Egypt, USA
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Romania, Netherlands, Poland, North Korea, Czech Republic
Group D: Hong Kong, South Korea, Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Luxembourg
Second Division
Group E: France, Croatia, Colombia, Slovakia, Uzbekistan, Mexico
Group F: Italy, Belgium, Argentina, Slovenia, Turkey, Greece
Group G: Spain, Puerto Rico, Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Cuba
Group H: Chile, Switzerland, England, Serbia, Dominican Republic, Canada
Third Division
Group I: Azerbaijan, Finland, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Morocco
Group J: Guatemala, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Jordan, South Africa
Group K: Estonia, Algeria, Turkmenistan, Macao, Bulgaria, Portugal
Group L: Norway, Wales, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina