Fencing: Elsayed set for Casablanca as sabre heads to Oran

Archive: Mohamed Elsayed, 25 January 2022. Mohamed Elsayed Samy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Margins and SNA logo added; adapted under the same licence.

Egypt's Mohamed Elsayed, the world number one in épée, is expected in Casablanca for the opening of the 2026-2027 senior World Cup. Morocco and Algeria host two legs from 15 to 18 October 2026: épée in Casablanca, sabre in Oran. The individual medals will be decided on Saturday 17 October, with the team events following on Sunday 18.

A demanding first test for Elsayed

The Mohammed V complex hosts the épée fencers, women and men. In the men's field, fifteen of the top sixteen in the world are entered. The only one missing is Switzerland's Lucas Malcotti, ranked twelfth. For Elsayed, such a concentration of top-ranked opponents makes for a demanding first test as the circuit restarts.

Rankings seed fencers going into an event; they say nothing about how the tournament will turn out. Elsayed's standing among the favourites should not be confused with the wins he actually collects in Casablanca. His announced presence gives Moroccan fans an African name to follow at this world-level event.

In Oran, sabre in a different setting

The Miloud-Hadefi Olympic complex hosts the sabre fencers, men and women. Sébastien Patrice, the men's world number one, heads the entries. South Koreans Do Gyeongdong and Oh Sanguk, ranked second and third in the world, are missing from the announced list. The field therefore differs from Casablanca's: the two legs share neither the same weapon nor the same opponents.

For Moroccans in Casablanca and Algerians in Oran, these home events offer a chance to test themselves against fencers from the international circuit. Their performances should be judged within their own event, without adding the sabre and épée results together as if they were a single tournament.

When are the key bouts?

The schedule, common to both cities, begins with the men's qualifying rounds this Thursday 15 October, followed by the women's on Friday 16. On Saturday 17 the individual knockout brackets are fought, where a single defeat ends a fencer's run. Qualifying and the decisive bouts are therefore two separate stages of the event.

On Sunday 18, the national teams take over for the team competitions. That is a new event with its own results, not a continuation of the individual brackets. Both the women's and the men's categories are on the programme in each city.

The restart also takes in foil in Takamatsu, Japan. For readers who want to follow the African legs, the takeaway is simple: Casablanca for épée, Oran for sabre, Saturday for the individual medals and Sunday for the team medals.