Spain rhythmic gymnastics group win world all-around title in Frankfurt; LA28 Olympic quota secured.
“We’re living a dream”
Rhythmic Gymnastics 2026 World Championships in Frankfurt: Spain secure group all-around title and LA28 quota spot: “We’re living a dream”
A night to remember in Frankfurt as Spain rose to the top of the rhythmic gymnastics world, with Japan and Brazil joining them on the podium, and all three securing their spots for LA28.
Spain’s rhythmic gymnastics group arrived at the top of the podium the same way they had reached it: together, hand in hand, after an evening that ended with them crowned world group all-around champions.
On Saturday (15 August), Ines Bergua Navales , Andrea Corral, Andrea Fernandez, Marina Cortelles, Lucia Munoz and Salma Solaun lit up Frankfurt’s Festhalle at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships , capturing the group all-around world title and securing an Olympic quota place for LA28 in the process.
Defending champions Japan dazzled with beautifully synchronised performances to take silver, while Brazil rounded out the podium with bronze.
“It’s incredible. Right now, we’re living a dream ," Bergua, captain of the Spanish team, told Olympics.com.
“I don’t think we fully realise what we’ve just achieved. Our main goal was to secure [Olympic] qualification, but becoming world champions is something that’s impossible to put into words. We’re very happy.”
As for the secret to what makes them such a good team? Ambition. “We always aim for the very top and always strive to be better than we were the day before.”
Spain topped qualification in both five balls (28.500) and mixed hoops and clubs (28.950) before taking all-around gold ahead of Japan and Brazil.
Performing to Roque Baños’s “Welcome On Board, Spain finished 0.350 points ahead of defending champions Japan in the mixed routine, before their five balls performance to “313” by Residente, Silvia Pérez Cruz and Penélope Cruz sealed the world title and coveted quota place for the Olympic Games LA28 .
With today’s results, the NOCs of Spain , Japan and Brazil have obtained a quota spot* in the group event.
In the individual all-around final yesterday (14 August), Germany, Bulgaria and Italy secured the first three individual quotas for LA28.
*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the LA Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at LA28.
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While gold belonged to Spain, Japan and Brazil had plenty of reason to celebrate the medals around their necks.
For Japan’s Hisano Taguchi , the silver was made all the more meaningful by the heartbreak she and teammate Megumi Nishimoto previously experienced when they missed out on qualification for Paris 2024.
“ This chance to compete in Los Angeles meant more to us than to anyone else,” she said. “Being able to earn that spot on our own this year has really given us a huge boost of confidence.”
With the title on the line in their final routine, Japan turned to what they had rehearsed countless times at home.
“We kept encouraging each other the whole time, and even though we were nervous, I think we were able to channel that energy in a positive way.”
When the score flashed up, confirming Japan in second place, the group immediately fell into an embrace, with several of the gymnasts shedding tears of joy.
Brazil’s team captain Maria Eduarda Arakaki was similarly touched after bronze delivered what the group had come to Frankfurt seeking: qualification for LA28. Their joy spilled into the mixed zone, where the six gymnasts broke into an enthusiastic rendition of their team chant.
“I can’t describe it,” Arakaki said with a big smile. “We came here with this goal, and we did it.
“We know that our dream is to bring an Olympic medal home. It would be the first Olympic medal for rhythmic gymnastics in Brazil . So it’s just unbelievable.”
Before thoughts can fully turn to Los Angeles, there is still more at stake in Frankfurt.
Tomorrow (16 August) the gymnasts will return for the individual apparatus finals , hoping to add to their medal collections and gain more valuable experience as the road to Los Angeles gathers, well… rhythm.
Picture by Pedro R. Coelho
Rhythmic Gymnastics | World Championships | Frankfurt | Germany