World's best players

Year
Host
World Champion
2nd
3rd
4th
Best team
Best Lady
2006
Mito



Japan

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Makoto Suekuni


Singapore

Ben Seeley


United States

Tetsuya Nakajima


Japan

Japan

Toshimi Tsuji


Japan
2005
Reykjavik



Iceland

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Kwang Wook Lee


South Korea

Takuji Kashiwabara


France

Tamaki Miyaoka


Japan

Japan

Hisako Hoshi


Japan
2004
London



United Kingdom

Ben Seeley


United States

Makoto Suekuni


Japan

Brian Rose


United States

Andreas Höhne


Germany

United States
2003
Stockholm



Sweden

Ben Seeley


United States

Makoto Suekuni


Japan

Andreas Höhne


Germany

Hiroshi Goto


Japan

Japan
2002
Amsterdam



Netherlands

David Shaman


Netherlands

Ben Seeley


United States

Imre Leader


United Kingdom

Takuji Kashiwabara


France

United States
2001
New York



United States

Brian Rose


United States

Raphael Schreiber


United States

Kazuhiro Sakaguchi


Japan

Matthias Berg


Germany

United States
2000
Copenhagen



Denmark

Takeshi Murakami


Japan

Brian Rose


United States

Stéphane Nicolet


France

Tim Krzywonos


Canada

United States
1999

Milan



Italy

David Shaman


Netherlands

Tetsuya Nakajima


Japan

Kazune Aoki


Japan

Jan Kristian Haugland


Norway

Japan
1998
Barcelona



Spain

Takeshi Murakami


Japan

Emmanuel Caspard


France

Dominique Penloup


France

Tatsuya Mine


United States

France
1997
Athens



Greece

Makoto Suekuni


Japan

Graham Brightwell


United Kingdom

Donato Barnaba


Italy

Marc Tastet


France

United Kingdom
1996
Tokyo



Japan

Takeshi Murakami


Japan

Stéphane Nicolet


France

Garry Edmead


United Kingdom

Joel Feinstein


United Kingdom

United Kingdom
1995
Melbourne



Australia

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

David Shaman


United States

Tatsuya Mine


United States

Emmanuel Caspard


France

United States
1994
Paris



France

Masaki Takizawa


Japan

Karsten Feldborg


Denmark

Marc Tastet


France

Imre Leader


United Kingdom

France
1993
London



United Kingdom

David Shaman


United States

Emmanuel Caspard


France

Philippe Juhem


France

Noboyuki Takizawa


Japan

United States
1992
Barcelona



Spain

Marc Tastet


France

David Shaman


United Kingdom

Francesco Marconi


Italy

Nils Berner


Sweden

United Kingdom
1991
New York



United States

Shigeru Kaneda


Japan

Paul Ralle


France

David Shaman


United States

Brian Rose


United States

United States
1990
Stockholm



Sweden

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Didier Piau


France

Paul Ralle


France

Brian Rose


United States

France
1989
Warszawa



Polen

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Graham Brightwell


United Kingdom

Peter Bhagat


United Kingdom

David Shaman


United States

United Kingdom
1988
Paris



France

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Graham Brightwell


United Kingdom

Imre Leader


United Kingdom

Takeshi Murakami


Japan

United Kingdom
1987
Milan



Italy

Kenichi Ishii


Japan

Paul Ralle


France

David Shaman


United States

Karsten Feldborg


Denmark

United States
1986
Tokyo



Japan

Hideshi Tamenori


Japan

Paul Ralle


France

David Shaman


United States

Imre Leader


United Kingdom
 
1985
Athens



Greece

Masaki Takizawa


Japan

Paolo Ghirardato


Italy

David Shaman


United States

Neil Stephenson


United Kingdom
 
1984
Melbourne



Australia

Paul Ralle


France

Ryo-Ichi Taniguchi


Japan

Ted Landau


United States

David Sharman


United Kingdom
 
1983
Paris



France

Kenichi Ishii


Japan

Imre Leader


United Kingdom

Brian Rose


United States

Paolo Ghirardato


Italy
 
1982
Stockholm



Sweden

Kunihito Tanida


Japan

David Shaman


United States

Pier Andrea Morolli


Italy

Luc Bruyninckx


Belgium
 
1981
Brussels



Belgium

Hidenori Maruoka


Japan

Brian Rose


United States

Pier Andrea Morolli


Italy

Francois Pingaud


France
 
1980
London



United Kingdom

Jonathan Cerf


United States

Takuya Mimura


Japan

Vincenzo Peccerillo


Italy

Alain Serneels


Belgium
 
1979
Rome



Italy

Hiroshi Inoue


Japan

Jonathan Cerf


United States

Joseph Alan Woch


United Kingdom

Vincenzo Peccerillo


Italy
 
1978
New York



United States

Hidenori Maruoka


Japan

Carol Jacobs


United States

Leve Arsenault


Canada

Jeff Davison


United Kingdom
 
1977
Tokyo



Japan

Hiroshi Inoue


Japan

Thomas Heiberg


Norway

Carol Jacobs


United States

Joseph Alan Woch


United Kingdom