Five women reach the world sommelier semi-finals, the most in the contest’s 57-year history.

The Association de la Sommellerie Internationale has named the 20 semi-finalists for its Best Sommelier of the World 2026 competition in Lisbon after two days of quarter-final testing that began with 66 candidates from around the world. The announcement sets up the next stage of one of the wine trade’s most prominent international contests and marks a record for female representation at this point in the event.

Five women reached the semi-finals, the highest number in the championship’s 57-year history, according to ASI. The organization said that milestone reflects a notable shift in a profession that has long been dominated by men at the highest competitive levels.

The competition, organized by ASI and hosted by the Associação dos Escanções de Portugal, returned to Lisbon for its 18th edition and is being held in the Portuguese capital for the first time since 1978. The quarter-finals took place on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13 and tested candidates on theory, blind tasting, and practical service, three areas that form the core of top-level sommelier competition.

The 20 candidates advancing to the semi-finals are Jonathan Gouveia of Denmark; Francesco Cosci of Italy; Tomasz Żak of Poland; Nikolai Haram Svorte of Norway; Sebastian Giraldo of Hungary; Mikk Parre of Estonia; Wataru Iwata of Japan; Martynas Pravilonis of Lithuania; Lukas Wiegman of the Netherlands; Reeze Choi of China; Dmitrii Frolov of Finland; Maria Boumpa of the United Kingdom; Mark Guillaudeu of the United States; Yi Ying Yong of Malaysia; Pascaline Lepeltier of France; Andrea Martinisi of New Zealand; Anke Carmen Hartmann of Ireland; Joris Gutierrez Garcia of Canada; Iwona Papathoma of Cyprus; and Florian Richter of Germany.

Several of the semi-finalists hold ASI Diploma distinctions. ASI identified Francesco Cosci, Tomasz Żak, Mikk Parre, Wataru Iwata, Lukas Wiegman, Reeze Choi, Dmitrii Frolov, Maria Boumpa, Mark Guillaudeu, Yi Ying Yong, Andrea Martinisi, and Joris Gutierrez Garcia as ASI Diploma Gold holders. Anke Carmen Hartmann and Iwona Papathoma were listed with ASI Diploma Silver.

The semi-final round is scheduled for Thursday, with three competitors to be selected for the public final on Friday at Lisbon’s Coliseu dos Recreios. That final will decide who takes the title of ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026, a distinction that can sharply raise a sommelier’s international profile and often carries influence across restaurants, hospitality groups, wine education, and global brand events.

ASI President William Wouters said that reaching the semi-finals in this year’s field was a significant achievement because of the overall level of the competition. In comments released by the organization, he congratulated those advancing while also recognizing the work of all 66 contestants who traveled to Lisbon. He said the event had shown the breadth of talent across ASI’s international membership.

Olivier Poussier, co-director of the ASI Sommeliers Contests Committee, also described the standard as exceptionally high and said the semifinalists should view their place in the next round as a source of personal pride. He said the contest rewards years of preparation that begin well before the first test in Lisbon and argued that the broader value of the event lies not only in the final result, but in the discipline and professional development required to compete at this level.

The ASI Best Sommelier of the World contest is one of the profession’s most visible tests. Candidates are expected to demonstrate not just knowledge of wine regions, grape varieties, producers, spirits, beer, sake, and other beverages, but also command of restaurant service, communication, and decision-making under pressure. Blind tasting is a central part of the challenge, but the event also measures speed, accuracy, poise, and the ability to handle practical situations that mirror real dining rooms.

This year’s semi-final field highlights the global reach of the profession. Europe remains strongly represented, but the group also includes contenders from Asia, North America, and Oceania. The United States is represented by Mark Guillaudeu, while France’s Pascaline Lepeltier is among the most closely watched names in the field. The presence of Maria Boumpa of the United Kingdom, Anke Carmen Hartmann of Ireland, Iwona Papathoma of Cyprus, and Lepeltier means four of the five women who made history by reaching this stage are from Europe, with the fifth coming from elsewhere in the international field named by ASI.

For Lisbon, the event brings a specialized but influential audience that includes sommeliers, wine producers, importers, educators, and hospitality executives. Portugal’s role as host also gives its wine sector added visibility at a moment when global restaurant buyers and beverage professionals are gathered in one place.

The quarter-final stage has now reduced the field to a group that combines established names and rising competitors. Some have been visible on the international sommelier circuit for years, while others are breaking through at the world championship level for the first time. What they share is a record of formal study, tasting practice, language skills, and restaurant experience that ASI says is required to reach the later stages of the contest.

By Thursday evening in Lisbon, that field of 20 will be cut again to just three. Those finalists will then face a public audience on Friday in a competition where technical knowledge and live performance carry equal weight, and where a single service error or a strong tasting call can shape the final result.