The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie is one of the many competitions that has been forced to adapt its regulations due to the health crisis. Without a doubt, its next edition in 2021 will be exceptional, and not only because of the change in dates, from January to May 30-31, but above all because of its system of choosing finalists.

Of all the continental selections, only the European qualifier could be held in January 2020 during Europain, the rest have had to be canceled due to the restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus. For this reason, the organizing committee of the competition has had to choose the participating countries from each continent based on the results of the 2018 podiums.

In the ranking of countries confirmed for the CMP 2021, the great absence of the USA and the inclusion for the first time of Kuwait stand out. In addition, some European countries with great tradition, such as Belgium or Spain, are also missing.

These are the 20 confirmed countries:

• Top three countries: France, Japan, Italy
• Europe: Switzerland, Sweden, Russia
• America: Chile, Argentina, Mexico
• Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco
• Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, China
• Middle East: Kuwait
• Wild cards: The UK, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan

Other major changes in this edition, chaired by Pierre Hermé, is the complete renewal of the international organizing committee, with Claire Heitzler and Frédéric Cassel as vice-presidents. A committee that is willing to direct the competition towards a responsible pastry, in addition to continuing to improve the image of the profession and spreading the know-how of the CMP. And for the next editions, there will no longer be TOP countries with direct access to the final, all of them will need to have qualified in the continental round.