BWF World Championships: New Delhi to host 30th edition of badminton tournament in August 2026

The BWF World Championships will make a grand return to India in August 2026, with New Delhi confirmed as host of the landmark 30th edition. The announcement came during the closing ceremony of the 2025 Championships in Paris, where BWF President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul formally handed over hosting rights to Sanjay Mishra, Honorary General Secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), alongside Federation Francaise de Badminton chief Frank Laurent.

India’s selection underlines its emergence as a badminton powerhouse, with 15 medals at the World Championships since Prakash Padukone’s trailblazing bronze in 1983. The country’s medal tally has grown steadily, highlighted by Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa’s historic doubles bronze in 2011 and an unbroken medal run ever since. At the heart of India’s success is PV Sindhu, who stands among the tournament’s all-time greats with five medals, including a historic gold in 2019.

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That medal streak was extended in Paris 2025, where Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty claimed their second Worlds bronze in men’s doubles. They join a formidable list of Indian medallists from the past decade, including Kidambi Srikanth, B Sai Praneeth, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy in singles. Saina Nehwal also remains a pivotal figure, having won silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017—when she and Sindhu made history as India’s first women’s doubles podium finishers in the same year.

“On behalf of the Badminton Association of India, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the BWF for entrusting us with this honour,” said BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra. “We promise to deliver an event of the highest standard and look forward to welcoming the badminton family to Delhi.”

First staged in 1977 in Malmö, Sweden, the BWF World Championships has grown into the sport’s most prestigious event, alternating between Asia, Europe, and North America. The Delhi edition will mark the tournament’s return to Asia after four years, cementing India’s place not just as a medal contender but as a premier destination in world badminton.