Web Summit 2026 Lisbon: Dates, Speakers and How to Watch
Web Summit 2026 runs from November 9 to 12 at Lisbon's MEO Arena, with Opening Night at 18:00 UTC on November 9. Here are the speakers announced so far, the record Chinese delegation, the themes and how to follow it.
- Web Summit 2026 runs November 9-12 at Lisbon's MEO Arena and FIL; Opening Night is 6-8 p.m. Lisbon time (18:00 UTC) on November 9.
- Organisers expect 70,000+ attendees and about 800 speakers, led by the largest group of Chinese tech leaders Web Summit has hosted.
- Organisers say Apple will make its Web Summit debut; talks are for ticket holders, and no public livestream has been announced.
Web Summit 2026 runs from Monday, November 9, to Thursday, November 12, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal. It opens with Opening Night on Centre Stage from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Lisbon time on November 9, which is 18:00 UTC/GMT, 19:00 CET, 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT, 11:30 p.m. IST and 5 a.m. AEDT on November 10. Three days of talks follow, from November 10 to 12.
Organisers expect more than 70,000 attendees, and this year's line-up includes what Web Summit calls the largest gathering of Chinese tech leaders ever at a Western tech event. Here is what has been announced as of October 27, 2026, and how to follow it.
When and where is Web Summit 2026?
The official Web Summit 2026 page gives the dates as November 9 to 12 and the venue as the MEO Arena in Lisbon. The event also fills the neighbouring FIL exhibition halls in the Parque das Nações district, Renascença reported.
- Dates: Monday, November 9, to Thursday, November 12, 2026
- Opening Night: November 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Lisbon time (18:00 to 20:00 UTC), on Centre Stage, according to the official schedule
- Night Summit: the evening networking event follows on November 9 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Talks: November 10 to 12, with the first listed sessions starting around 10 a.m. Lisbon time
- Venue: MEO Arena and FIL, Parque das Nações, Lisbon
- Time zone: Lisbon is on Western European Time (UTC+0) after the clocks changed on October 25, so Lisbon time matches UTC and London time.
The same week is busy for global events. The UN's COP31 climate summit also opens on November 9, in Antalya, Türkiye.
Who is speaking at Web Summit 2026?
The speakers page promises about 800 speakers. As of October 27, it is led by Chinese companies, which reflects the event's main theme this year.
The Chinese delegation
Web Summit says executives and founders from Tencent, Xiaomi, XPENG, Pony.ai, Manus AI, Hisense, AgiBot and Galbot will attend, Fast Company Middle East reported. China's Ministry of Commerce and the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's internet and AI regulator, are also sending delegations. CEO Paddy Cosgrave said adoption of Chinese AI and robotics "has no sign of slowing down."
Confirmed speakers include Xiaomi chief marketing officer Fei Xu, Pony.ai co-founder Leo Haojun Wang, Manus AI co-founder Tao Zhang, Unitree co-founder Li Chen and Xiaoxia Qi of the Cyberspace Administration of China. Four humanoid robots are also listed as "speakers": AgiBot's A3 and PrimeBOT Q1, and Galbot's G1 and ET1. Renascença counted about 30 Chinese leaders in AI, robotics and quantum computing confirmed so far.
The focus on China has been building. Web Summit ran a dedicated China stage at its 2025 Lisbon event, and Cosgrave has floated holding a Web Summit in China in 2027, Observador reported. No China event has been officially announced. China also hosts the APEC leaders' meeting in Shenzhen the following week.
Other names on the list
- Tech leaders: Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, Arm CEO Rene Haas and Replit president Michele Catasta
- Policy: Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission's Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, and Mary Robinson, a founding member of The Elders
- Sport and culture: Real Madrid footballer Thibaut Courtois, Olympic champion Michael Johnson, Lumi founder Colin Kaepernick and Atlassian Williams F1 team principal James Vowles
- Media: NPR CEO Katherine Maher and editors from the Financial Times, the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal
Apple will appear at Web Summit Lisbon for the first time, Cosgrave said, according to Tek Notícias. Portuguese site iFeed reports that Sébastien Gros, Apple's director of government relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will speak. His session topic and time had not been published as of October 27.
What are the main themes?
Web Summit lists 17 content tracks, from an AI Summit and a Policy Summit to Energy, Health, Sport, MoneyConf and a Developer Summit. Talks already on the schedule include sessions on fusion energy, AI-generated actors and flying cars.
AI runs through almost everything. Ahead of the event, Web Summit published its first State of the Industry survey, based on 1,455 founders, investors, engineers and creators. Its findings set up some of the debates expected on stage:
- 55% said AI strengthens their critical thinking, while 26% said it weakens it.
- 60% said AI has increased their workload, against 20% who said it has reduced it.
- 42% expect fewer entry-level jobs in their field.
- 39% expect headcount in their field to grow over two years, and 33% expect it to fall.
These are self-reported views from Web Summit's own community, not a representative poll of the tech industry.
How big is Web Summit?
Web Summit says its 2025 Lisbon event drew 71,386 attendees from 157 countries, 2,725 exhibiting startups, a record 1,857 investors and 869 speakers. For 2026, Cosgrave said all exhibition space had sold out, with more than 3,000 companies booked and 30,000 square metres of temporary halls being built, Tek Notícias reported.
Lisbon has hosted the event since 2016. Under a 10-year deal signed with the Portuguese government in 2018, it is due to stay until 2028, according to Tek Notícias and Observador.
How to watch or take part
- In person: tickets are sold on Web Summit's official website. A ticket covers all 17 tracks, Centre Stage, the exhibition floor, Night Summit and the Web Summit app, the organisers say. Group discounts are available for five or more tickets.
- Online: Web Summit has not announced a public livestream for Lisbon 2026 on its event pages. Its YouTube channel hosts about 2,000 videos from past events, so recordings of some talks are likely to appear there.
- Social media: Web Summit has named 16 creators in its Creator Programme, who will post from the event floor.
- The schedule: the official schedule lists sessions by day and stage and is still being updated.
What to watch for
- Opening Night on November 9: the headline speakers had not been announced as of October 27.
- China's showing: what the Chinese delegation and regulators say on stage, and whether Web Summit announces an event in China.
- Apple's first appearance: whether its EMEA government relations director addresses EU regulation.
- Lisbon's future: any news on hosting after the current deal ends in 2028.
Our take
Based on the sources above, Web Summit 2026 is shaping up as a test of how far a big European tech conference will lean towards China. Chinese AI, robotics and car companies dominate the early speaker list, and two Chinese government bodies are sending delegations. That makes Lisbon a place where Europe's debates over tech sovereignty, regulation and Chinese competition will play out in public.
For everyone else, the useful signals will be the AI and workforce debates and the startup floor. Last year's startup count and record investor turnout suggest the deal-making side of the event remains strong.
Frequently asked questions
When is Web Summit 2026?
Web Summit 2026 runs from Monday, November 9, to Thursday, November 12, 2026, in Lisbon. Opening Night is on November 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Lisbon time (18:00 UTC), and talks run from November 10 to 12.
Where is Web Summit 2026 held?
Web Summit says it takes place at the MEO Arena in Lisbon. The event also uses the neighbouring FIL exhibition halls in the Parque das Nações district, and organisers are adding 30,000 square metres of temporary halls this year.
Who is speaking at Web Summit 2026?
About 800 speakers are planned. Names announced include executives from Tencent, Xiaomi, Pony.ai and Manus AI, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes, EU Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, Thibaut Courtois and four humanoid robots. Apple is attending for the first time.
Can I watch Web Summit 2026 online?
As of October 27, 2026, Web Summit had not announced a public livestream for Lisbon on its event pages. Full access is for ticket holders, through the venue and the Web Summit app. Web Summit's YouTube channel hosts recordings from past events.
How many people attend Web Summit?
Web Summit says 71,386 people from 157 countries attended in 2025, with 2,725 startups and 1,857 investors. For 2026, organisers expect more than 70,000 attendees.
Sources
- Web Summit - The best tech conference on the planet, Web Summit
- We'll return to Lisbon for Web Summit 2026, Web Summit
- Meet Web Summit's 2026 speakers, Web Summit
- Web Summit 2026 content tracks, Web Summit
- Web Summit 2026 schedule, Web Summit
- Record investors at Web Summit 2025, bucking industry trends, Web Summit
- Web Summit's first state of the industry survey finds tech torn on AI, Web Summit
- Unveiling the creators joining us at Web Summit 2026, Web Summit
- Web Summit: Edição de 2026 terá o maior contingente chinês e quatro robots na lista de oradores, Renascença
- Paddy Cosgrave diz que Web Summit 26 esgotou espaço de exposição e conta com a estreia da Apple, Tek Notícias (SAPO)
- Apple traz à Web Summit 2026 o diretor responsável pelas relações com a União Europeia, iFeed
- Web Summit set to host its largest Chinese tech delegation in Lisbon, Fast Company Middle East
- Perante uma Europa "condenada", a Web Summit rende-se à China para onde tem viagem marcada em 2027, Observador
- Web Summit - YouTube channel, YouTube
How we wrote this
GessyMorgan explainers are built from public reporting and official sources. This post draws on the 14 sources listed above, each linked where we use it. It was drafted with AI assistance and checked against those sources before publishing. We did not test products, attend events or interview anyone for this article. Facts are current as of October 27, 2026, and we update the post when they change.
