Specialty Coffee Expo Becomes World of Coffee for 2026

For more than three decades, the Specialty Coffee Association's flagship U.S. trade show went by Specialty Coffee Expo (and SCAA Expo before that). Starting in 2026, it's World of Coffee San Diego — bringing the U.S. event in line with the "World of Coffee (city)" branding the SCA has already built out across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

World of Coffee San Diego runs April 10–12, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center, drawing an expected 17,000-plus visitors and 650-plus exhibitors from over 90 countries — everyone from farmers and roasters to equipment makers and café owners. A dedicated Roaster Village gives small and medium-sized roasters and green coffee importers a platform to pour their coffees for the crowd.

The rebrand comes alongside a genuinely global 2026 competition calendar. The World Barista Championship and World of Coffee trade show head to Panama City in October — the first time either has been hosted in Central America — while the World Cup Tasters Championship stops in Bangkok in May, another new city on the circuit. It's a deliberate spread: six major competitions across four continents this year, instead of clustering in the same few regions.

For a small roastery, events like these are less about the trophy and more about the floor — the chance to cup lots side by side, meet importers and producers in person, and see where the rest of the industry is putting its attention. Even watching from a distance, keeping an eye on where these events land each year is a decent proxy for where specialty coffee's center of gravity is shifting.