Opening on 1 October 2026, the Championship gives flair bartenders around the world the opportunity to compete internationally without needing to travel, while showcasing their flair, creativity, cocktail-making ability and personality to the global bartending community.
The competition is open to current WFA members, entry is free, and the qualifying round will count towards the official WFA World Rankings as a WFA Challenger-level competition.
ONE GLOBAL COMPETITION. FIVE CHAMPIONSHIP REGIONS.
Flair bartending has always been international.
Different countries have developed their own styles, competitors and communities, but they have always been connected by the same passion for performing behind the bar.
The Finest Call WFA Online Continental Championship has been designed to celebrate exactly that.
Competitors will represent the Championship Region in which they live, across five regions:
- North America
- Central America, Caribbean & Latin America
- Europe
- Africa & Middle East
- Asia & Australia
The five highest-scoring competitors from each region will progress from the qualifying stage to their respective Continental Final.
That means 25 finalists worldwide competing to become one of five new WFA Continental Champions.
POWERED BY FINEST CALL
At the centre of the Championship is Finest Call, the most established professional cocktail mixer brands in the global hospitality industry.
Produced by American Beverage Marketers, Finest Call has spent more than 30 years developing premium cocktail mixers designed around the needs of professional bartenders.
Today, Finest Call products are used across bars, hotels, restaurants and clubs in more than 100 countries around the world, with the brand describing its mission around giving bartenders quality, speed, ease of use and consistency behind the bar.
From cocktail mixes, fruit purées mixers, single pressed juices to syrups and other professional bar solutions, Finest Call has built a global presence by focusing specifically on the demands of the hospitality industry.
Its signature store-and-pour packaging and patented dispensing closure were developed with professional bartenders in mind, while the brand places significant emphasis on fruit selection, consistency and efficient drink preparation.
That makes the partnership with the World Flair Association a natural fit.
At its best, flair bartending has never simply been about throwing bottles.
It is about combining bartending skill, entertainment, efficiency, cocktail creation and hospitality to create a better experience for the guest.
And during this Championship, Finest Call will not simply appear as a competition partner.
It will be part of the challenge.
YOUR FIRST CHALLENGE: 90 SECONDS
Every competitor begins with an online qualifying routine lasting a maximum of 90 seconds.
The video must be filmed vertically in 9:16 format, and during the performance the competitor must create one original alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktail featuring at least one Finest Call product.
But there is another important challenge.
Every routine must also feature at least one Finest Call Stall.
The stall will be judged on its execution, difficulty and creativity, giving competitors another opportunity to combine product interaction with original flair technique.
Competitors can use multiple Finest Call products in their cocktail, alongside spirits, liqueurs, bitters and other permitted cocktail ingredients.
The finished drink must be shown during the video, and Finest Call must be clearly identifiable and genuinely used as an ingredient.
CREATIVITY IS ENCOURAGED
This is an online competition, and competitors are encouraged to take advantage of the format.
During qualification, videos may include:
- Multiple camera angles
- Cuts and transitions
- Slow motion
- Music
- Graphics
- Visual effects
Editing can enhance the presentation, but it cannot be used to fabricate or falsely represent the successful completion of a flair move.
Importantly, AI or SI generated content is not permitted within the competition video.
And while competitors are encouraged to create something visually exciting, expensive equipment is not required. During qualification, competitors are judged on the performance itself rather than the quality of their camera, lighting or editing.
90 seconds. Make every second count.
SHARE YOUR FLAIR WITH THE WORLD
This Championship has also been designed to create a global showcase for flair bartending.
Every qualifying video submitted to the WFA must also be published on the competitor's Instagram account.
Competitors must:
- Publish the same qualifying video submitted to the WFA
- Tag @worldflairassociation
- Tag the relevant Finest Call accounts
- Use #FinestCallWFAonlineContinentalChampionship
- Include their cocktail recipe
- Keep the post publicly available during qualification
The social media element means the Championship won't exist only on a judging platform.
Throughout the qualifying period, bartenders from different countries and continents will be able to see each other's work, discover new competitors and help showcase flair bartending to a wider audience.
WORLD RANKING POINTS ARE ON THE LINE
The Finest Call WFA Online Continental Championship is officially classified as a WFA Challenger-level competition.
Eligible competitors will earn WFA World Ranking points from the qualifying round, meaning every performance can have an impact beyond this individual competition.
The qualifying round carries a maximum score of 170 points, divided across four categories:
Difficulty — 50 points
The technical difficulty of the flair performance.
Originality — 50 points
The creativity and originality demonstrated throughout the routine.
Choreography — 50 points
The flow, structure and overall presentation of the performance.
Finest Call Stall — 20 points
The execution, difficulty and creativity of a stall performed using a Finest Call bottle.
Every move matters. Every point counts.
THEN THE COMPETITION CHANGES
Making the top five in your continent is only the beginning.
The 25 Continental Finalists will be required to create an entirely new performance.
This time, finalists will have up to three minutes and must film in 16:9 landscape format.
Once again, competitors must create an alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktail featuring Finest Call and perform a Finest Call Stall.
But the final introduces something new.
Production becomes part of the score.
Finalists can use multiple camera angles, editing, music, slow motion and visual effects to create something that feels bigger than a traditional competition routine.
The Continental Final carries a maximum score of 200 points, with an additional 30 points for Production added to the judging criteria.
This is where flair performance meets filmmaking.
And where competitors have the opportunity to create something that truly represents their style.
There is one major difference between qualification and the Continental Final.
The final routines are private.
Finalists must submit their performances directly to the World Flair Association and cannot publish or share them publicly before the official Championship Show.
If a finalist releases their routine early, they may be disqualified and replaced by the next eligible competitor from their region.
Why?
Because every final routine will receive its official premiere during the WFA Continental Championship Shows.
FIVE REGIONS. FIVE SHOWS. FIVE CHAMPIONS.
In February 2027, the World Flair Association will produce five Continental Championship Shows:
North America
Central America, Caribbean & Latin America
Europe
Africa & Middle East
Asia & Australia
Each show will feature all five finalists from that region, alongside judging discussion, final scores, results and the crowning of the WFA Continental Champion.
The shows will be hosted by WFA Co-Founders Andy Collinson and Tom Dyer.
Five competitions.
Five championship shows.
Five winners.
$10,000 USD IN PRIZE MONEY
The Championship features a total prize fund of $10,000 USD, divided equally between the five Continental Championships.
Each region has $2,000 USD available, and every competitor who makes a Continental Final will win prize money.
PRIZE MONEY — PER CONTINENT
1st Place — $1,000
WFA Continental Champion
2nd Place — $500
3rd Place — $250
4th Place — $150
5th Place — $100
Total per continent: $2,000
Across all five Continental Finals:
25 FINALISTS. FIVE CHAMPIONS. $10,000 USD.
WHO CAN ENTER?
The Championship is open to current WFA members worldwide.
Competitors must have an active WFA membership when submitting their entry and will represent the region in which they currently live.
Each competitor may submit one qualifying entry only.
Once submitted, the video is final and cannot be replaced, re-uploaded or amended.
Entry into the Championship itself is free for WFA members.
Not currently a member?
WFA annual membership is £29.95, providing access to the Championship alongside the wider range of content and benefits available through the World Flair Association platform.
KEY DATES
1 OCTOBER 2026 — ENTRIES OPEN
Competitors can begin submitting their official Championship Entries.
30 NOVEMBER 2026 — ENTRIES CLOSE
All qualifying videos and social media requirements must be completed by 23:59 GMT.
Late entries will not be accepted.
DECEMBER 2026 — QUALIFYING & FINALISTS
The judging panel will score the qualifying routines and the top five competitors from each region will progress.
A total of 25 Continental Finalists will be announced.
31 JANUARY 2027 — CONTINENTAL FINAL DEADLINE
All final routines must be submitted privately to the World Flair Association by 23:59 GMT.
FEBRUARY 2027 — CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWS
Five official Championship Shows will premiere the final performances, reveal the results and crown the five new WFA Continental Champions.
MORE THAN AN ONLINE COMPETITION
The Finest Call WFA Online Continental Championship represents something bigger than simply winning a trophy or prize money.
It creates an opportunity for bartenders, regardless of where they live, to put their skills in front of an international audience.
A competitor in Tokyo can watch someone in London.
A bartender in Cape Town can compete alongside someone in Buenos Aires.
A new name can emerge from anywhere.
That accessibility is one of the great strengths of online competition — and when combined with WFA World Ranking points, five Continental Championships and the backing of an internationally established professional cocktail brand such as Finest Call, the platform becomes even more significant.
For established competitors, it is another opportunity to prove themselves.
For the next generation, it could be the competition that puts their name on the map.
ARE YOU READY TO REPRESENT YOUR CONTINENT?
You don't need to fly across the world.
You don't need to stand on a huge competition stage.
You don't need the most expensive camera.
You need your bottles.
You need your cocktail.
You need your creativity.
And you have 90 seconds to make the world remember your name.
Entries open 1 October 2026.
ONE COMMUNITY. FIVE CONTINENTS. FIVE CHAMPIONS.
The Finest Call WFA Online Continental Championship 2026/27.
Are you ready?
