BWF World Championship is being held in India after 17 years. The world's best players are eager to show their strength in this prestigious tournament. At the same time, Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium is all set to host this biggest event of badminton in the world.
India is hosting the World Championship for the first time since 2009. In this, 64 men and 64 women players, along with 48 pairs in three doubles categories will compete for the top honor in the country's capital for seven days.
The matches of the tournament will start from Monday, in which the matches of the top half of men's and women's singles draw will be played on the first day. India won its first medal in 1983, when Prakash Padukone won the bronze medal.
Since 2011, India has won at least one medal in every edition of the BWF World Championships. A total of 14 medals have been won in 11 consecutive editions, which is a record of consistent good performance which has been matched only by China.
In one of the most interesting singles matches of the first round in the 2026 edition, defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China will face rising star Ayush Shetty of India. Former champion PV Sindhu, who holds the joint record for winning the most World Championship medals (5) in women's singles, will be looking for her sixth World Championship medal.
When and where is the BWF World Championship 2026 being played? The BWF World Championship 2026 will be held from 17 to 23 August at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. How to watch BWF World Championship 2026 live in India?
The live telecast of BWF World Championship 2026 can be seen in India on Sports 18, while fans can enjoy live streaming on Jio Cinema.
Worldwide streaming will be available on Badminton World Federation's official YouTube channel BWF TV and Olympics.com.
Indian team for BWF World Championship:
Men's Singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty
Women's Singles: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda
Men's Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, Hariharan Amsakarunan/MR Arjun
Women's Doubles: Tressa Jolly/Gayathri Gopichand Pullela, Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi
Mixed Doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor/Rutvika Shivani Gadde (Canada)
Complete schedule of BWF World Championship 2026:
August 17: First round (all events): 9 am (IST)
August 18: First/Second Round: 9 am (IST)
August 19: Second round: 9 am (Indian time)
August 20: Round of 16 (Pre-Quarterfinals): 10:30 am (IST)
21 August: Quarter-finals: 10.30 am (Indian time)
22 August: Semi-finals: 10.30 am (Indian time)
August 23: Final: 1 pm (IST)
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