2026 World Wrestling Championships Draw: Armenia's First Freestyle Opponents and Full Schedule

The draw for the freestyle wrestling competition at the 2026 World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, has taken place. Armenia's first-round opponents have been confirmed, along with the competition schedule.

The freestyle wrestling competition will begin on October 29 and conclude on November 1. Armenian wrestlers will enter the tournament on different days depending on their weight categories.

Armenia's Draw Results and First Opponents

57 kg (Round of 32): Manvel Khndzrtsyan will face the winner of the bout between Min Yok Yun (South Korea) and Qinkan Xie (China).

61 kg (Round of 32): Arsen Harutyunyan vs. Derek Guanajuato (Mexico).

65 kg (Round of 32): Vazgen Tevanyan vs. Bat-Erdene Byambasuren (Mongolia).

70 kg (Round of 16): Arman Andreasyan will face the winner of the match between Ferhat Kilic (Turkey) and Vishal Kaliramana (India).

74 kg (Round of 64): Narek Harutyunyan vs. Inalbek Sheriev (Russia).

79 kg (Round of 32): Hrayr Alikhanyan vs. Ibrahim Khaniev (Russia).

Two Armenian wrestlers will therefore face Russian opponents in their opening bouts. Narek Harutyunyan will take on Inalbek Sheriev, while Hrayr Alikhanyan will compete against Ibrahim Khaniev.

Vazgen Tevanyan (65 kg) will be the first of the listed Armenian wrestlers to compete, beginning his medal campaign on October 29. Arsen Harutyunyan (61 kg) and Arman Andreasyan (70 kg) will start on October 30, while Manvel Khndzrtsyan (57 kg), Narek Harutyunyan (74 kg), and Hrayr Alikhanyan (79 kg) will enter the competition on October 31.

2026 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships Schedule

All times are listed in Yerevan time (GMT+4), one hour ahead of Moscow.

Thursday, October 29

• 09:30 — Qualification rounds in the 65 kg and 97 kg categories.

• 15:30 — Semifinals in the 65 kg and 97 kg categories.

Friday, October 30

• 09:30 — Qualification rounds in the 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg categories; repechage bouts in the 65 kg and 97 kg categories.

• 15:30 — Semifinals in the 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg categories.

• 17:00 — Finals in the 65 kg and 97 kg categories.

Saturday, October 31

• 09:30 — Qualification rounds in the 57 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg categories; repechage bouts in the 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg categories.

• 15:30 — Semifinals in the 57 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg categories.

• 17:00 — Finals in the 61 kg, 70 kg, 86 kg, and 125 kg categories.

Sunday, November 1

• 15:30 — Repechage bouts in the 57 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg categories.

• 17:00 — Finals in the 57 kg, 74 kg, 79 kg, and 92 kg categories.

The freestyle wrestling competition will bring the World Championships in Astana to a close. Earlier in the tournament, Armenia's Greco-Roman wrestling team secured two medals: Karen Aslanyan (63 kg) won gold, while Gevorg Tadevosyan (87 kg) claimed bronze.