Armenia's First Opponents at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships Revealed: Amoyan to Face Russian Wrestler

Wrestling

Oct. 23, 2026, 3:07 p.m.
Author: Vahe Hakobyan
Sportaran

The draw for the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Greco-Roman wrestling took place on October 23 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Armenia's first-round opponents have been confirmed across all ten weight categories.

Armenia's biggest gold medal hope, reigning world champion Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg), will begin his title defense against Russia's Sergey Kutuzov. The bout is scheduled for October 24 in the Round of 32.

Amoyan, who is aiming to win his third World Championship gold medal, enters the tournament as the second seed. His opening opponent, Kutuzov, is considered one of the most dangerous unseeded wrestlers in the competition.

Norayr Akhoyan (55 kg) has also been handed a difficult draw. He will face Georgia's top-seeded Vakhtang Lolua in his opening bout.

All First-Round Opponents for Armenia at the 2026 World Championships

55 kg (Round of 16): Norayr Akhoyan vs. Vakhtang Lolua (Georgia).
60 kg (Round of 32): Suren Aghajanyan vs. Dimitri Khachidze (Georgia).
63 kg (Round of 32): Karen Aslanyan vs. Corneliu Rusu (Moldova).
67 kg (Round of 32): Slavik Galstyan vs. Gagik Sndjoyan (France).
72 kg (Round of 32): Ashot Khachatryan vs. Mihai Petic (Moldova).
77 kg (Round of 32): Malkhas Amoyan vs. Sergey Kutuzov (Russia).
82 kg (Round of 32): Samvel Grigoryan vs. Gamzat Gadzhiev (Russia).
87 kg (Round of 32): Gevorg Tadevosyan vs. Milad Alirzayev (Russia).
97 kg (Round of 32): Hayk Khloyan vs. Hamza Boumadiene (Morocco).
130 kg (Round of 32): Razmik Kurdyan vs. Heiki Nabi (Estonia).

When Will Armenian Wrestlers Compete at the World Championships?

The 2026 World Wrestling Championships will take place in Astana from October 24 to November 1. The competition will begin with the Greco-Roman wrestling events.

On October 24, four Armenian wrestlers will take to the mat:

Norayr Akhoyan (55 kg);
Suren Aghajanyan (60 kg);
Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg);
Samvel Grigoryan (82 kg).

The semifinals in these weight categories are scheduled for the same day, while the medal bouts will take place on October 25.

On October 25, Ashot Khachatryan (72 kg), Hayk Khloyan (97 kg), and Razmik Kurdyan (130 kg) will begin their campaigns.

On October 26, Karen Aslanyan (63 kg), Slavik Galstyan (67 kg), and Gevorg Tadevosyan (87 kg) will enter the competition.

The Greco-Roman wrestling events will conclude on October 27, after which the World Championships will continue with women's wrestling and men's freestyle wrestling.