We can confirm that ICL will not take place in 2026. All affected contestants will compete in 2027.

Since 2017, ICL has been held in Madrid at IFEMA, within Japan Weekend. For the weekend we had planned in September 2026, Madrid is scheduled to host Formula 1. Because Formula 1 requires extensive space and long build-up and dismantling times, multiple events planned for that period have been affected or postponed. As a result, Japan Weekend has not been able to secure available dates, and IFEMA has not been able to confirm a feasible date for the event. Even in the hypothetical scenario where Formula 1 were cancelled or a date became available, we would likely be informed with very little notice. With the lead time required to organize ICL properly, that would not allow us to deliver the competition to the standard that participants expect. For this reason, it is safer and more responsible to plan for everyone to enjoy ICL in 2027.

Selections will continue as usual. In some countries, the selection date may change if an agreement has been reached with the local organizer, as some events have multiple possible dates and we want to avoid making cosplayers wait longer than necessary. Please check with your local organizer for final confirmation regarding ICL in your country. We will update our website soon with the selection dates, and we will begin announcing the contestants who have already been selected. Please note that there will be one selection per country and one team per country until the 2027 Finals take place.

This does not mean that each country will have two representatives (one for 2026 and one for 2027). We encourage interested contestants to apply at the next available selection in their country, as there will be no additional selections until after the 2027 Finals.

At this time, the ICL Finals are expected to take place in September 2027. There is a very small possibility they could be moved to February 2027 if September becomes unfeasible, but this is considered highly unlikely. Contestants and local organizers who have already been selected and confirmed have been informed. However, they were asked not to share any information publicly until this official statement was published.

This statement refers to ICL only. Whether Japan Weekend takes place in 2026 depends on Japan Weekend’s own planning and decisions. Japan Weekend may explore alternatives in order to still hold the event, but those alternatives would not make it possible to run ICL in 2026.

If you are interested in organizing ICL in your country for 2027, please contact cosplay@japanweekend.com.