World Bridge Organizations: WBF, Continental Federations, and International Championships

Bridge is a global game with organized competition on every continent. While you might play at your local club or in ACBL tournaments, there’s a whole world of international bridge above that. Understanding the structure of world bridge organizations helps you appreciate the sport’s scope and follow international competition.

The World Bridge Federation (WBF)

The WBF is bridge’s international governing body, like FIFA for soccer or FIBA for basketball. Founded in 1958, it coordinates bridge worldwide, sets international rules, and runs world championships.

The WBF doesn’t have individual members. Instead, national bridge organizations (like the ACBL in North America) join as member federations. Currently there are over 130 national federations from countries across six continents. Yes, bridge is played competitively in places you wouldn’t expect.

The WBF maintains the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, the official rulebook used worldwide. When you play bridge in Tokyo, São Paulo, or Stockholm, the same laws apply. Local interpretations vary slightly, but the core rules are universal.

The federation also handles international bridge policy, anti-doping rules (yes, bridge has them), and recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Bridge is recognized as a sport by the IOC, though it’s not in the Olympics yet. Maybe someday.

Continental Federations

Below the WBF sit five continental bridge federations. These organize regional championships and coordinate bridge development in their areas.

European Bridge League (EBL) is the largest, covering Europe and including powerhouse bridge nations like Italy, France, Netherlands, and Poland. European bridge is extremely strong, and European championships are world-class events.

American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) serves North America. Wait, didn’t we just say the ACBL is a national organization? It is, but it also functions as the continental federation for Zone 2 (North America) within the WBF structure. Confusing, but it works.

South American Bridge Federation (SAMBF) covers South America. Brazil and Argentina have strong bridge traditions, and SAMBF championships feature serious competition.

Asia & Middle East Bridge Federation (AMBF) spans a huge geographic area from Japan to Pakistan. Bridge is growing rapidly in China and India, making this zone increasingly competitive.

African Bridge Federation (ABF) covers Africa, where bridge has smaller but dedicated communities. South Africa and Egypt have the strongest programs.

Pacific Asia Bridge Federation (PABF) covers Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific island nations. These overlap with AMBF geographically but handle different countries.

Each federation runs championships, zones can send teams to world events, and they coordinate scheduling so international competitions don’t conflict.

World Championships

The WBF runs world championships every two years, alternating between odd years (Open, Women’s, Seniors) and even years (Transnational events). These are the highest level of competitive bridge.

The Bermuda Bowl

This is the world championship of bridge, named after the location of the first event in 1950 (Bermuda). National teams compete to win the Bermuda Bowl trophy.

Teams qualify through continental championships or zonal playoffs. The format is typically round-robin followed by knockout matches. Matches are long (64 or 96 boards) and brutally competitive.

The United States has won the most Bermuda Bowls historically, but Italy dominated for decades with the famous Blue Team. France, Netherlands, and other European nations have strong records. Recently, teams from Sweden, Monaco, and England have been powerful.

Watching top players compete for the Bermuda Bowl is like watching chess grandmasters or poker champions. The bidding is sophisticated, the card play is precise, and mistakes are rare. If you want to see bridge played at its absolute peak, find video coverage of Bermuda Bowl matches.

The event is held every odd year, typically in exotic locations around the world. Past venues include Shanghai, Philadelphia, Wuhan, Lyon, and Chennai.

The Venice Cup

The Venice Cup is the women’s world championship, running parallel to the Bermuda Bowl. Same format, same level of competition, just women’s teams.

Don’t let the separate designation fool you. Venice Cup bridge is world-class. Players like Jill Meyers, Tobi Sokolow, and European stars play at an incredibly high level. The tactical decisions and technical skill are just as sophisticated as the open events.

The United States has historically been strong in the Venice Cup, but European teams (particularly England, France, and Netherlands) are fierce competitors. China has emerged as a major force in recent years.

The trophy is named after Venice, Italy, where the first women’s world championship was held in 1974.

Other World Championships

Seniors Bowl for players 60 and older. Experience counts in bridge, and these players have decades of it. The level of play is extremely high.

D’Orsi Trophy (Senior Women’s) for women 60 and older.

World Transnational Open Teams (WTOT) allows mixed teams from different countries. You can form a team with players from anywhere.

World Bridge Games feature multiple events including mixed teams, mixed pairs, and various other formats.

World Youth Championships for players under 26, under 21, and under 16. This is where future stars emerge. Many current world champions got their start in youth events.

Qualifying for World Championships

How do teams make it to the Bermuda Bowl or Venice Cup? Through a pyramid of qualifying events.

In North America, the ACBL runs trials. The top teams from these trials represent USBF (United States Bridge Federation) or CBF (Canadian Bridge Federation) at zonal championships. Similar processes happen in other countries.

Continental championships then determine which teams advance to worlds. Europe might send 2-3 teams, North America 1-2, and smaller zones send 1. The host nation gets an automatic spot.

The whole process takes years. A team might spend 12-18 months preparing, playing qualifiers, and competing to earn their spot. By the time they reach the Bermuda Bowl, they’ve played hundreds of boards against top competition.

Olympic Bridge?

Bridge’s biggest political goal is Olympic inclusion. The WBF has worked for decades to get bridge into the Olympics.

Bridge is recognized as a sport by the IOC. That’s the first step. But inclusion in the actual games requires convincing the Olympic committee that bridge adds value to the program. Competing with established sports and emerging activities makes this tough.

Some bridge players think Olympic inclusion would grow the game and bring prestige. Others worry about the bureaucracy and politics that come with Olympic sports. Either way, the WBF keeps pushing for it.

The World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) have featured bridge alongside chess, Go, and other mind sports. These events happen every four years and give a taste of what Olympic bridge might look like. The 2008 WMSG in Beijing and 2012 in Lille drew serious fields.

Regional Championships Matter Too

Below world championships sit regional events that still feature incredible bridge.

European Championships are brutally competitive. Teams like Italy, Netherlands, and France bring world-class players. Winning a European Championship is harder than many world events due to the depth of field.

USBF Trials in the United States determine the American team for international events. These trials feature the best American players competing over months.

Commonwealth Games have occasionally included bridge, though not consistently.

Cavendish Invitational isn’t a WBF event but attracts many world champions for a high-stakes weekend. It’s more like a poker tournament in structure but features top players.

Following International Bridge

Want to watch world championships? The WBF streams major events online with commentary. You can watch live play from the Bermuda Bowl or Venice Cup right from your computer.

BBO (Bridge Base Online) carries vugraph (live broadcasts) of most major championships. Turn on BBO during a world championship and you can watch the actual hands being played, see the bidding, and follow expert commentary.

The Bridge Bulletin (ACBL’s magazine) and Bridge World cover international results. European bridge magazines like English Bridge and IBPA Bulletin provide detailed reports.

Social media has made following international players easier too. Many top players tweet or post about tournaments, share hands, and discuss interesting deals.

Does International Bridge Matter to Club Players?

Depends on what you want from bridge. If you play for fun at your local club, you don’t need to care about the Bermuda Bowl any more than a recreational basketball player needs to care about the NBA Finals.

But if you love bridge as a competitive game, following international championships is fascinating. You’ll see bidding ideas you can steal, card play techniques to practice, and get a sense of where the game is heading.

The best players in the world are trying things you can learn from. Their conventions filter down to club bridge. Their defensive techniques become standard practice. Their approaches to common situations inform how everyone plays.

Plus, it’s fun to watch. Seeing a world champion make a brilliant play or blow a cold contract reminds you that bridge is hard for everyone. Seeing teams fight through 96-board matches shows dedication to the game.

The WBF, continental federations, and international championships form the peak of competitive bridge. Somewhere right now, teams are preparing for the next Bermuda Bowl, drilling bidding sequences, and analyzing opponents. The game you play at your club exists in a continuum that extends all the way to world championships.

That’s pretty cool.