2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships: Draw Results, Armenian Wrestlers’ Opponents and Full Brackets
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
The draw for the 2026 U23 World Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling has taken place in Las Vegas, USA. The tournament will run from October 12 to 18, with the opening opponents of the Armenian national team members and the complete brackets for all ten weight categories now confirmed.
Armenia will compete in nine of the ten weight divisions. The only category without an Armenian representative will be 60 kg, where Suren Aghajanyan has decided to compete at the Senior World Championships in Astana instead.
According to the draw, seven Armenian wrestlers will begin their campaigns against European opponents, while the other two will face competitors from Asia.
Armenia’s First Opponents at the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships
-
55 kg (Round of 16): Manvel Khachatryan vs Denis Mihai (Romania).
-
60 kg: No Armenian representative.
-
63 kg (Round of 32): Yuri Karapetyan vs Georgios Papageorgiou (Greece).
-
67 kg (Round of 32): Yurik Hoveyan vs Muki Yang (China).
-
72 kg (Round of 16): Gaspar Terteryan vs the winner of Nika Broladze (Georgia) / Petro Zhitovoz (Hungary).
-
77 kg (Round of 32): Samvel Terteryan vs Imran Aliyev (Russia).
-
82 kg (Round of 32): Martik Petrosyan vs Ognjen Jakovljevic (Serbia).
-
87 kg (Round of 32): Vigen Nazaryan vs Karan Kamboj (India).
-
97 kg (Round of 32): Ruben Gevorgyan vs Luka Gabisonia (Georgia).
-
130 kg (Round of 16): Aramayis Harutyunyan vs the winner of Ali Ilyasov (Russia) / Achilleas Chryssidis (Greece).
Toughest Potential Opponents for Armenian Wrestlers
One of the most challenging outcomes of the draw for Armenia is the possibility of Aramayis Harutyunyan facing Russian heavyweight Ali Ilyasov.
Ilyasov is a two-time U20 world champion (2025 and 2026) and the reigning U20 European champion. In 2026, the Russian wrestler won both major international junior championships and is considered one of the leading medal contenders in the 130 kg weight category.
However, Ilyasov must first face Greece’s Achilleas Chryssidis. The winner of that bout will become Harutyunyan’s opening opponent.
Samvel Terteryan also faces a difficult start, with a Round of 32 match against Imran Aliyev. The Russian wrestler won the 2023 U20 World Championships in the 72 kg category, defeating Hungary’s Levente Levai 9–0 in the final.
Terteryan, however, also brings considerable international experience. In 2026, the Armenian wrestler became the U20 European champion and reached the semifinals of the U20 World Championships.
Full Brackets for the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships
Below are the complete tournament brackets for all ten weight categories at the 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas, covering divisions from 55 kg to 130 kg.
2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships: Schedule and Start Times
The U23 World Championships will begin on October 12 at 9:30 PM Yerevan time. Due to the time difference between Las Vegas and Yerevan, Armenian wrestling fans will be able to follow the competition during the evening and overnight hours.
The Greco-Roman wrestling competition will take place from October 12 to 14.
On October 12, wrestlers in the 60, 67, 72, 82 and 97 kg weight categories will begin competing. The 55, 63, 77, 87 and 130 kg divisions will start on October 13.
The Greco-Roman finals are scheduled for October 13 and 14. The championships will then continue with women's wrestling and freestyle wrestling competitions.
Where to Watch the 2026 U23 Wrestling World Championships: Live Streaming
The official live stream of the 2026 U23 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships will be available through the United World Wrestling (UWW+) platform.
Live streams of the competition, along with free viewing links for matches featuring Armenian wrestlers, will also be shared on our Telegram channel.
The 2026 U23 World Championships in Las Vegas will continue through October 18, bringing together competitors in all three wrestling disciplines: Greco-Roman, women's wrestling and freestyle wrestling.