World Congress of Anaesthesiologists
The World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) is the pre-eminent international congress for anaesthesiologists.
Bringing together anaesthesia and perioperative care providers from around the world, WCA provides an extraordinary opportunity for the promotion of science, education, training, networking and the exchange of experience across the spectrum of anaesthesiology.
With delegates from 130+ countries, WCA is unique in terms of global reach and diversity. It offers an outstanding scientific and social experience for all who attend.
Upcoming Congresses
19th WCA 2026 – Marrakech, Morocco, 15-19 April 2026
WCA2026 will be held in Marrakech in partnership with the Société Marocaine d’Anesthésie, d’Analgésie et de Réanimation (SMAAR). Find out more.
20th WCA – Vancouver, Canada, May 2028
WCA2028 will be held in Vancouver in partnership with the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society.
Past Congresses
18th WCA – Singapore 2024
WCA2024 took place in Singapore from 3-7 March 2024. This was the first WCA to be held in-person since 2016.
Find out more at www.wca2024.org.
17th WCA – Virtual 2021
The 17th World Congress should have been held in Prague, Czech Republic. Due to Covid-19 restrictions it became the first ever fully virtual World Congress. WCA2021 took place from 1-5 September 2021 and attracted over 6,500 delegates. A round-up of the events of WCA2021 is available here.
Over 1,000 abstracts from WCA2021 were published in Anesthesia & Analgesia and can be accessed at https://journals.lww.com/anesthesia-analgesia/toc/2021/09002
The 100 most popular sessions and seminars are available to watch again on the WFSA YouTube channel
16th WCA – Hong Kong 2016
The 16th World Congress was held in August-September 2016 in Hong Kong. The Society of Anaesthetists of Hong Kong co-hosted an incredible event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in the heart of the vibrant island. Over 6,000 delegates from 134 countries attended. 1,054 abstracts were presented. 648 speaker sessions. 79 workshops. 54 problem based learning discussions. 116 companies exhibited.
The abstracts from the WCA 2016 can be found here.
15th WCA – Buenos Aires 2012
The largest WCA ever in terms of delegates took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 20-25 March 2012. An astonishing 11,322 delegates took part, including 8,893 medical professionals and 590 faculty. WCA2012 had over 620 sessions on the programme, 771 digital posters, 43 workshops and 116 exhibitors.
The abstracts from the WCA2012 can be downloaded here:
14th WCA – Cape Town 2008
Over 6,000 delegates attended from all 5 continents. There were 788 presentations, 12 workshops, 8 Industrial Symposia/workshops, 1019 posters and 130 exhibitors.
WCA Locations Since 1955
The World Congress rotates through different world regions and the below list shows the host cities and societies since the first congress in 1955.
