World Boxing Expands: The Organization Now Includes 152 Countries, Armenia Still Not Among the Members

On December 16, 15 more national federations joined World Boxing, the organization responsible for Olympic qualification in boxing. As a result, the total number of member countries of the global federation has reached 152.

The new members include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Eswatini, Guyana, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Niger, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Seychelles, Togo, and Tunisia.
At the same time, the Boxing Federation of Armenia is still not among them.

According to official information, the World Boxing Executive Board approved the applications of 15 national federations for membership with the status of Endorsed Member. This status allows countries to participate in competitions under the auspices of World Boxing; however, they do not have voting rights at the 2026 Congress, as they do not hold Full Member status.

Full membership status can only be granted by the World Boxing Congress, the highest governing body of the organization. The final vote on the applications of the new federations will take place at the 2026 Congress. If approved, they will be able to vote starting from the 2027 Congress and beyond.

World Boxing was founded in April 2023 with the aim of preserving boxing within the Olympic movement. In May 2024, the organization held its first official meeting with the IOC, and on February 25, 2025, it received provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee as the international federation governing boxing worldwide within the Olympic movement.

At present, the Boxing Federation of Armenia is represented exclusively within the IBA and took part in the IBA World Championship 2025, which was held in Dubai. Countries that are already members of World Boxing—such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and others—also competed in that tournament.

Armenia’s absence from World Boxing raises questions, as this organization is responsible for Olympic qualification. If the current situation persists, there is a risk that Armenian boxers may lose the opportunity to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the same time, there is still time for Armenia to join World Boxing.