The IQA and US Quidditch have decided to postpone the IQA World Cup 2020 to July 31-August 1, 2021, following the growing uncertainty and risks related to the spread of COVID-19 globally. The 2021 event will still be held in the U.S., in Richmond, VA at Glover Park.
This decision was made by the IQA board after consulting with NGB and national team representatives, experts, the IQA events department, USQ and our local event partners. Under the current circumstances, we feel that it would be impossible to guarantee the health and safety of all attendees at a summer 2020 event. There are also logistical concerns that are preventing everyone involved from preparing and planning for a successful tournament. When looking at 2021 vs 2022, we analyzed the impact of both years on several key groups, including NGBs/national teams, the IQA, USQ, volunteers and spectators and our event partners.
Overall, 30 NGBs and nationals teams gave us their feedback on postponing World Cup. A summary of the feedback collected can be found here.
“We are very sorry that World Cup cannot happen this summer,” said Pauline Raes, Events Director of the IQA. “We know that it’s one of the most important events for the entire quidditch community. It’s not just a competition, though that’s surely a very exciting part of it! It’s an opportunity for us to gather together, to meet people from different countries and cultures and grow as sportspeople. Remember that those values are not going away. We’re all going through a very difficult time right now, but quidditch will be coming back, and we will all meet again.”
We would like to thank everyone who has already dedicated their time and support in making the World Cup 2020 happen. If you expressed an interest in volunteering at the event this summer, the IQA events team will be in touch with more information about 2021 in the upcoming weeks. For teams, registration will reopen later in the summer. Please reach out to [email protected] if you need any additional information or have questions.