Sumo World Championships 2026 — Team England results
England sent five athletes to Baku for the senior World Championships, competing under the Great Britain entry at the Baku Sport Hall on Sunday 18 October 2026. The 27th Sumo World Championships and 18th Women Sumo World Championships brought together a field of nearly 30 nations.
England contested four men's weight categories, the women's 73–80 kg, and the senior men's team event. The best result of the weekend was Mandeep Kundi's fifth place in the men's open weight.
Results below are taken from the official tournament match reports. Full brackets for every nation are on the official championships site.
Squad and selection context: Team England Sumo.
How the team finished
Individual results for England's five athletes, with wins and losses in each category. Where an athlete did not reach a medal match, the round in which they went out is shown instead of a placing.
| Athlete | Club | Category | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandeep Kundi | Deep Sumo Club | Open weight | 5th (3–2) |
| Sebastian Wray | Deep Sumo Club | Under 85 kg | Repechage (0–2) |
| Sonny Bell | London Sumo Club | 100–115 kg | Second round (0–1) |
| Nathan Rault | Southampton Sumo Club | Over 115 kg | First round (0–1) |
| Leah Cozens | Southampton Sumo Club | 73–80 kg | First round (0–1) |
Sebastian Wray, Sonny Bell, Nathan Rault and Leah Cozens all lost to opponents who went on to reach a medal match or the repechage; Wray's first opponent, Georgy Abdula-Zade, took silver in the under 85 kg.
Mandeep Kundi's run to the bronze-medal match
Mandeep Kundi (Deep Sumo Club) produced England's best result of the weekend in the open weight. He opened with a win over Azerbaijan's Omar Hasanli, then lost his quarter-final to Japan's Shun Ikeda, the eventual bronze medallist. Dropping into the repechage, he beat Ireland's Jonathan Templeton and Canada's Colton Johnstone to reach the bronze-medal match, where Hungary's Erik Márk Szilágyi — the other bronze medallist — stopped him. Three wins from five bouts, with both defeats against medallists.
The rest of the squad
Sebastian Wray (Deep Sumo Club) drew Georgy Abdula-Zade of Kyrgyzstan in his first contest; Abdula-Zade went on to take silver. Wray then lost his repechage bout to Ireland's Ryan Roddy by hikiotoshi (pull down). Sonny Bell (London Sumo Club) and Nathan Rault (Southampton Sumo Club) also met opponents who went deep into their categories: Bell lost to Azerbaijan's Javid Yusifov, who finished fifth at 100–115 kg, while Rault's first-round opponent, Elvis Mickans of Ireland, reached the repechage at over 115 kg. Leah Cozens (Southampton Sumo Club) lost her opening bout at 73–80 kg to Poland's Aleksandra Grygiel-Lis, who went on to contest a bronze medal.
Every England defeat in the individual categories came against an athlete who reached at least the repechage.
Senior men's team
England's senior men's team — Sonny Bell, Mandeep Kundi and Nathan Rault, with Sebastian Wray as substitute — lost 1–2 to Hungary in the first round. Bell lost the opening bout to Erik Márk Szilágyi, Kundi beat József Délceg with an oshidashi (frontal push out) to level the tie, and Marcell Gyuricza beat Rault in the anchor bout. Hungary went on to the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual silver medallists Ukraine.
| Position | Athlete |
|---|---|
| Senpo (first) | Sonny Bell |
| Chuken (middle) | Mandeep Kundi |
| Taisho (anchor) | Nathan Rault |
| Substitute | Sebastian Wray |
Team result: England 1–2 Hungary (First round).
England bouts
Every contested England bout in Baku, including the three team bouts. Byes are omitted.
| Athlete | Event | Round | Opponent | Result | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leah Cozens | Women’s 73–80 kg | First round | Aleksandra Grygiel-Lis (Poland) — Eventual 5th place | Loss | Yoritaoshi (frontal crush out) |
| Nathan Rault | Men’s over 115 kg | First round | Elvis Mickans (Ireland) | Loss | Yorikiri (frontal force out) |
| Sebastian Wray | Men’s under 85 kg | Second round | Georgy Abdula-Zade (Kyrgyzstan) — Eventual silver medallist | Loss | Tsukiotoshi (thrust down) |
| Sebastian Wray | Men’s under 85 kg | Repechage | Ryan Roddy (Ireland) | Loss | Hikiotoshi (pull down) |
| Sonny Bell | Men’s 100–115 kg | Second round | Javid Yusifov (Azerbaijan) — Eventual 5th place | Loss | Yoritaoshi (frontal crush out) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Men’s open weight | Second round | Omar Hasanli (Azerbaijan) | Win | Tsukidashi (thrust out) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Men’s open weight | Quarter-final | Shun Ikeda (Japan) — Eventual bronze medallist | Loss | Yoritaoshi (frontal crush out) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Men’s open weight | Repechage, match 1 | Jonathan Templeton (Ireland) | Win | Uwatenage (overarm throw) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Men’s open weight | Repechage, match 5 | Colton Johnstone (Canada) | Win | Isamiashi (forward step out) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Men’s open weight | Bronze-medal match | Erik Márk Szilágyi (Hungary) — Bronze medallist | Loss | Shitatenage (underarm throw) |
| Sonny Bell | Senior men’s team | First round — Senpo | Erik Márk Szilágyi (Hungary) | Loss | Kirikaeshi (twisting backward knee trip) |
| Mandeep Kundi | Senior men’s team | First round — Chuken | József Délceg (Hungary) | Win | Oshidashi (frontal push out) |
| Nathan Rault | Senior men’s team | First round — Taisho | Marcell Gyuricza (Hungary) | Loss | Yorikiri (frontal force out) |
Looking ahead
England followed up at the Swiss Sumo Open in Geneva on 7 November 2026, returning with 3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze. The pathway from club competition to international selection is set out on the Team England Sumo page.
Source
Official results: 2026 Sumo World Championships match reports and International Sumo Federation event information.
See also: Find a sumo club in England, Coaching pathway, Governance, Team England Sumo, and All results.