The 9th FCC Physics Workshop took place in Munich from 26–30 January 2026, hosted by the Max Planck Institute, and gathered the international FCC community for a week of intense discussions on the future of CERN’s next flagship collider. The agenda spanned physics, detectors, software, accelerator design and the machine–detector interface; a reminder of how broad and interconnected the FCC effort has become.
A strong strategic message set the tone right from the start. In the opening session, Paris Sphicas spoke on behalf of the European Strategy Group (ESG) and reiterated the long-term vision for CERN. He quoted the ESG recommendation clearly and unambiguously: “The electron–positron Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee) is recommended as the preferred option for the next flagship collider at CERN.” It was a statement that resonated throughout the workshop and framed many of the discussions that followed.
On the physics side, several sessions highlighted the maturity and ambition of the FCC-ee programme. Electroweak precision measurements are among the most challenging goals of the project, pushing requirements on detector performance, theory input and systematic control to unprecedented levels. A presentation by Jan Eysermans outlined the plans and needs for this programme, emphasizing how precision electroweak physics will drive both detector design and analysis strategies. A second contribution from Jan focused on beam-induced backgrounds and ongoing improvements in their modelling, work that is essential to ensure realistic detector optimization and reliable performance projections.
Beyond the talks and technical sessions, the workshop had a warm and collaborative atmosphere. The conference dinner, took place in the ‘Gasthof Neuwirt‘ right at the next U6 subway station coming from ‘Garching-Forschungszentrum’. The dinner was set for Wednesday night and for some of us it turned into a small adventure: we took an about 30-minute walk through snowy fields (possibly via the wrong path!) that became a shared memory for many participants. After an excellent Bavarian style dinner with some memorable speeches from the fearless leaders we walked back, this time much more certain about the right path.
Christophe Grojean set the stage–and what a stage is was!–for Guy Wilkens who inspired us about the FCC work and the next steps after the feasibility study, the final speaker, Paris Sphicas, gave an inspiring speech in favor of the great moment of the FCC, an endeavor of humans to strive to discover how the microcosmos and the cosmos really work.
All in all, the Munich workshop delivered clear messages about what needs to happen next in FCC physics and detector studies. The sense of direction is sharpening, priorities are becoming more concrete, and the momentum behind the FCC programme continues to grow.