Dance World Cup 2027 World Finals

The Dance World Cup 2027 World Finals take place in Lisbon, Portugal from 29 June to 9 July 2027, the year after the 2026 finals were held in Dublin. Dance World Cup describes itself as the largest all-genre dance competition for children and young adults, with around 120,000 competitors from more than 70 countries taking part across its qualifying rounds and roughly 25,000 reaching the finals.

Key details

• Dates: 29 June to 9 July 2027

• Location: Lisbon, Portugal

• Venue: Lisbon Congress Centre (CCL), Belém

• Qualification: Live national qualifier, or video audition in countries that do not run one

Qualifying from Ireland and Northern Ireland

The two jurisdictions take different routes, and mixing them up costs a season.

Republic of Ireland. Dancers qualify at the live Irish qualifier. Because a live qualifier exists, the video route is not open to them. See the Dance World Cup Ireland Qualifiers listing for how the Irish route ran in 2026, and contact danceworld.ireland@gmail.com for the 2027 dates.

Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland competes as Team Northern Ireland, one of four home nation teams run by Dance World Cup UK. There is no live heat. Qualification is by video audition, with entries opening 20 September. The Northern Ireland deadline is 10 January, later than the 7 November date for England, Scotland and Wales, even though Dance World Cup UK’s 2027 poster prints 7 November above all four team names. Confirm with jo.arnett@dwc-uk.com.

Questions

Where are the 2027 finals? Lisbon, Portugal, from 29 June to 9 July 2027.

Where exactly is it? The Lisbon Congress Centre, Praça das Indústrias, in the Belém district west of the city centre. It has eight auditoria and five pavilions, which is how an event this size runs several genres side by side.

Can a dancer in the Republic enter by video instead? No. Where a live national qualifier exists, that is the route you have to use.

Who do I contact? danceworld.ireland@gmail.com for the Republic. Northern Irish schools go through Dance World Cup UK.

Dates and venue confirmed on the Dance World Cup 2027 World Finals banner at dwcworld.com. Entry details for the 2027 cycle are not yet published.

Dance schools and young dancers in Ireland and Northern Ireland aiming to compete internationally in 2027, and parents planning travel and cost a year ahead.

Ballet is one of nine sections at the Dance World Cup, alongside modern, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, tap, song and dance, street and hip hop, and national. Ballet entries are judged within their own section rather than against other genres, and dancers can enter as soloists or in duets, trios and groups.