Badminton's biggest team event is the Thomas and Uber Cup. Its biggest individual event is the BWF World Championships, and the Olympics sit on top of both. All three were in the news this year, and the World Championships were played in India. This page covers what happened, who the main names are and what to watch. It does not follow the weekly tour events below that level.
World Championships 2026, New Delhi
The 2026 BWF World Championships were held from 17 to 23 August in New Delhi. Two finals told the story.
Men's singles: France's Alex Lanier beat Japan's Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in just under 50 minutes. Lanier, the ninth seed and 2025 European champion, dropped only two games all week and became the first French man to win the world singles title. He reached the final by beating Canada's Victor Lai in three games, which gave Lai a second straight world bronze.
Women's singles: An Se Young of Korea beat defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 21-17, 21-14, without dropping a game all week. It was her second world title and her first since 2023. She arrived at New Delhi after winning seven titles from nine tournaments that season. Wang Zhi Yi of China and Pornpawee Chochuwong of Thailand took the bronze medals.
Men's doubles: China's Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang took gold, ahead of Malaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in silver. Bronze went to Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of Korea and to Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan of Chinese Taipei.
Thomas and Uber Cup 2026
The Thomas and Uber Cup is the biennial world team championship, and this year's finals were played in Horsens, Denmark, from 24 April to 3 May.
- Thomas Cup (men): China beat France 3-1 in the final to win a 13th title, and a second in a row after 2024. It took nearly four and a half hours. World number one Shi Yu Qi beat Christo Popov in three games, Alex Lanier levelled for France by beating Li Shi Feng, Weng Hong Yang beat Toma Popov 22-20, 20-22, 21-19, and He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu sealed it in the doubles. France reached the medal rounds of the men's event for the first time in history. India and Denmark finished joint third.
- Uber Cup (women): Korea beat China 3-1 in the final for their third title, after 2010 and 2022. An Se Young opened with a win over Wang Zhi Yi, 21-10, 21-13, and Baek Ha Na and Kim Hye Jeong clinched it by winning the deciding doubles 16-21, 21-10, 21-13. Kim Ga Eun had given Korea a lead with a 21-19, 21-15 upset of Chen Yu Fei.
What these results say
China are still the strongest team event nation, but the gap is smaller than it was. France made a Thomas Cup final and a world singles title in the same year, and An Se Young won seven titles in nine tournaments before the Worlds. For Indian fans, a joint third place at the Thomas Cup is the team's result to build on.
How the events are organised
- World Championships: run by the BWF, with separate medals for singles and doubles events.
- Thomas and Uber Cup: a team event, with a men's and a women's competition, each tie decided by singles and doubles matches.
- Olympics: every four years. An Se Young is the reigning Olympic women's singles champion.
Follow it live
This site has no live badminton card, because the free feed we use covers four sports only. Dates for the major events go on the Schedule page as text once we have checked them with the BWF.
Sources
Results are from BWF World Championships 2026 podium, Olympics.com on the World Championships, BWF Thomas and Uber Cup podium and Olympics.com on the team event. Facts last checked 17 October 2026.
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