Wednesday 21st October - Panama 

Team Australia has officially landed in Panama ahead of the 2026 World Barista Championships. 55 hours of travel, 12 suitcases. A stopover in LA. And straight from the airport to Panama City into base camp training. That's dedication.

Day 2 was spent at the Panama Convention Centre unpacking, tasting coffee and making the final preparation before Gab Tan takes to the world stage tomorrow. Word from the team is the coffee is tasting great, spirits are high and Gab is ready to do Australia proud.

We couldn't be prouder of Gab and the team behind him. It's taken an incredible amount of work, preparation and commitment to get to this point, and we'll be cheering them on as they head into the first round of competition tomorrow.

For the early risers back home, you can catch Gab live in Round One at 3am AEST on Friday morning.

Or follow along on our Instagram channel for recaps and updates from Panama.

Watch the World Barista Championships live here