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BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi: India hosts for the second time, with top shuttlers like PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen competing for gold.
PV Sindhu will begin her campaign at World Championships on Monday (PTI Photo)
The 30th edition of the BWF World Championships is all set to start on Monday, August 17, in New Delhi, with the Badminton Association of India leaving almost no stone unturned to ensure that this edition comes off as one of the best in the history of the World Championships.
It’s the most prestigious tournament in badminton, offering the highest number of ranking points alongside the badminton events at the Summer Olympics, which were introduced in 1992.
The winners are crowned World Champions and receive a gold medal.
History
The tournament started in 1977 and was held every three years until 1983. But the International Badminton Federation faced challenges in staging its first two editions, as the rival World Badminton Federation held a similar tournament a year after each IBF World Championship.
The two organisations later merged to form a unified badminton federation.
From 1985 to 2005, the tournament was held biennially. Since 2006, it has been an annual event on the BWF calendar, although it isn’t held in Summer Olympic years to avoid scheduling conflicts.
From 1985 to 2005, the tournament was held biennially. Since 2006, it has been an annual event on the BWF calendar, although it is not held in Summer Olympic years to avoid scheduling conflicts.
This will be the second time that India will host the World Championships, having last hosted it in 2009. Not a single Indian shuttler medalled at that edition, despite the likes of Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Chetan Anand and then World Junior champion Saina Nehwal being on the team.
But with multiple Indian shuttlers in the fray this time, a podium finish looks very likely, if not more.
Schedule
The first three rounds of the singles competition will be played from Monday through Thursday, August 20, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final scheduled from Friday, August 21, to Sunday, August 23.
The first round of the men’s and women’s doubles will take place on Monday, followed by the second round on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18 and 19. The third round will be played on Thursday.
The mixed doubles competition will start on Tuesday, with the second and third rounds scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
India’s Schedule For Monday, August 17
Hariharan Amsakarunan-MR Arjun vs Scott Guildea-Paul Reynolds: Court 1, 12:20 pm IST
Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand vs Paula Lopez-Lucia Rodriguez: Court 1, 4:30 pm IST
PV Sindhu vs Sophia Noble: Court 1, 5:20 pm IST
Ayush Shetty vs Shi Yu Qi: Court 1, 6:10 pm IST
Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi vs Nikol Carulla-Carmen Jimenez: Court 1, 7pm IST
Who Are The Indian Players Competing?
Besides Hariharan-Arjun, Treesa-Gayatri, Sindhu, Ayush and Kavipriya-Simran, 14th seed Lakshya Sen will be in the fray in men’s singles and will be in action on Tuesday against Collins Filimon of Austria.
Unnati Hooda will face Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar in her opening encounter. Fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been handed a bye in the first round and will only be in action on Tuesday/Wednesday.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will face Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai of Canada, while Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh will take on Emre Sonmez and Yasemen Bektas on Tuesday.
15th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have been handed a bye in the first round and will only be in action on Wednesday.
Live Streaming
JioStar has the rights to broadcast and stream the BWF World Championships. Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports Select 1 SD and Star Sports 1 will broadcast the matches, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18PV Sindhu is aiming for an unprecedented sixth medal at the BWF World Championships, having previously won five medals, including a gold in 2019. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are also in the spotlight.
Ask News18August 16, 2026, 2:07 pm IST
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