SEOUL, South Korea — Filipino girl group Meraki brought pride to the country after capturing top honors at the 2026 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival World Final held in Seoul on October 17.
Marking its 16th milestone year, the prestigious international competition gathered more than 100 participants representing 13 different countries.
To clinch the victory in the final round, Meraki delivered a powerhouse performance featuring energetic routines to TWICE hit tracks “Ooh-Ahh” and “Heart Shaker.”
The Filipino ensemble shared the grand winner’s podium alongside Indonesia’s male cover dance group EXNITE and Japan’s K*Dear.
A panel of renowned industry experts evaluated the performances, consisting of Choi Young Jun of Team Same, Nohwon of 1Million Amazon, Paperman of Lock’N’Lol Crew, and Ryuo of Auspicious Crew.
Meraki earned the right to fly the Philippine flag at the global showdown after emerging victorious in the domestic leg of the competition during the “Everyone’s KPop: KPop in Colors” event held last June.
The world final event was successfully organized by The Seoul Shinmun Daily. It received crucial backing from the Korean Cultural Center, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea Entertainment Producers Association, Federation of Korean Music Performers, Seoul Tourism Organization, and Black Clover.