World, USA & British Jigsaw Puzzle Championship 2026

World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship 2026 – Results, Winners & Controversy

The 2026 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship took place in Valladolid, Spain from 16–20 September. The main competition moved from the Cúpula del Milenio to the Valladolid Exhibition Fair.

The standout result came in the individual final, where Maartje van der Meer of the Netherlands completed the 500-piece final puzzle in just 27 minutes 57 seconds. It was the fastest winning time in an individual World Championship final since the competition began in 2019.

Germany’s Maja Von Borstel finished second in 29:31, with Nina Schicks third in 30:06. American Andrea Peng finished fourth in 30:07 – meaning just one second separated third and fourth place.

2026 World Champions

A British silver medal

There was an excellent result for Britain in the pairs final. Rachael Chambers and Emma Quirke finished second in 44:48, only 1 minute 8 seconds behind the German champions.

A six-second World Championship final

The team final was even closer. Czech Puzzlequeens & Martin completed their two 1,000-piece puzzles in 1:07:11. Germany’s Almost Pixel Perfect finished in 1:07:17 – just six seconds behind after 2,000 pieces.

Maja Von Borstel had one of the strongest all-round championships: individual silver, pairs gold and team silver.

Every World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship Winner

The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship was first held in 2019. There were no championships in 2020 or 2021 during the pandemic, before the competition returned in 2022.

Note: The winning times are not directly comparable across every year. The competition formats and number of pieces have changed. For example, the 2019 pairs final used 500 pieces rather than today’s 1,000, while the 2019 team competition involved 5,000 pieces compared with 2,000 in recent finals.

World Championship Records and Interesting Facts

Fastest winning individual final

Maartje van der Meer’s 27:57 in 2026 is the fastest winning time in an individual World Championship final since the competition began. The previous fastest winning performance was Alejandro Clemente León’s 34:25 in 2022.

Back-to-back World Champion

Spain’s Alejandro Clemente León is the only puzzler to win consecutive individual World titles, becoming champion in both 2022 and 2023. He was also part of Spain’s winning Non Stop team in 2022 and won the pairs title with Gisela Arranz Toro in 2023.

Tereza Koptíková’s remarkable record

Czech puzzler Tereza Koptíková has won World titles across multiple categories: pairs champion in 2022, teams champion in 2023, pairs champion again in 2024 and teams champion again in 2026.

Why Was the 2026 World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship so Controversial?

The controversy surrounding the 2026 championship was mainly about the organisation and events leading up to the competition, rather than a dispute over the 2026 results themselves.

Problems started at the 2025 World Championship

The previous year’s championship had been unusually eventful. Reports from the event allegedly described competition puzzle images being leaked, manufacturing defects including missing or duplicate pieces, difficult conditions inside the venue and a major thunderstorm!

During the storm the roof of the Cúpula del Milenio reportedly leaked onto parts of the competition area, some teams had to be moved, an outdoor viewing screen was blown over and the livestream was interrupted.

The venue had become a major complaint

Competitors and spectators had also criticised the old Cúpula del Milenio for heat, lighting, limited spectator space and the leaking roof.

For 2026, the main competition moved to the Valladolid Exhibition Fair. 

A public dispute with a long-standing participant

There was also a very public disagreement between the organisers and long-standing Spanish participant and volunteer Cristina López Rodríguez.

López wrote that she registered for the 2025 championship in January, was later told that her participation had been cancelled, repeatedly tried to contact the organisers, and was eventually informed shortly before the event that she could participate after all. She said that by then it was too late to reorganise her travel and pairs/team arrangements.

Her article also raised wider questions about the organisation and governance behind the championship. Those broader claims are her allegations and opinions; I have not found an independent court or regulatory finding establishing them as fact.

What can be said with confidence is that the dispute added to criticism about communication and transparency.

Did top puzzlers boycott the 2026 World Championship?

Before the 2026 championship, puzzle fans noticed that a number of familiar elite competitors were missing from the participant lists. Online discussions described the situation as a possible boycott, with some participants and fans expressing dissatisfaction with the organisation and previous events.

Results checked against the official World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship classifications. The controversy section distinguishes documented events from participant and community allegations which may or may not be true!