The BWF World Championships 2026 will be staged in New Delhi in August next year, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) confirmed during the closing ceremony of the 2025 edition in Paris on Sunday.
It will be India’s second time hosting the Badminton World Championships after 2009, when it was held at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Indoor Stadium.
The global showpiece will also be returning to Asia after eight years. The People’s Republic of China staged the last Badminton World Championships in the continent, with Nanjing playing hosts in 2018.
While India were awarded hosting rights for the 2026 edition back in 2021, the BWF confirmed New Delhi as the venue on Sunday.
Organised annually by the BWF, except in Olympic years, the World Championships are the most prestigious competition on the badminton calendar.
It crowns world champions across singles, doubles and mixed doubles while offering the highest number of ranking points.
First held in 1977, the Badminton World Championships were held every three years until 1983 and then became a biennial event till 2005.
India has enjoyed a consistent run at the tournament, winning at least one medal at every edition since 2011. In total, Indian shuttlers have secured 15 medals – one gold, four silver and 10 bronze.
Prakash Padukone opened India’s account with a bronze in 1983, while PV Sindhu remains the country’s most decorated player with five medals, including a historic gold in 2019, two silvers (2017, 2018) and two bronze (2013, 2014).
Saina Nehwal won silver in 2015 and bronze in 2017, while Kidambi Srikanth is India’s only men’s singles silver medallist from 2021.
In doubles, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa delivered a bronze in women’s doubles at London 2011, still India’s only medal in the category.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have won two men’s doubles bronze medals – at Tokyo 2022 and Paris 2025.