The 2026 BWF World Championships were held at the Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, from 17 to 23 August, the first time India had hosted the event since 2009. France and South Korea won two titles each, and China one. India’s only medal was a women’s doubles bronze for Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
2026 world champions
| Event | Champions | Runners-up | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s singles | Alex Lanier (France) | Kodai Naraoka (Japan) | 21-11, 21-11 |
| Women’s singles | An Se-young (South Korea) | Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) | 21-17, 21-14 |
| Men’s doubles | Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang (China) | Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia) | 21-16, 21-17 |
| Women’s doubles | Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee (South Korea) | Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning (China) | 21-15, 21-15 |
| Mixed doubles | Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (France) | Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping (China) | 22-20, 19-21, 21-15 |
France’s breakthrough
France left New Delhi with two world titles. Alex Lanier dominated the men’s singles final, beating Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11. Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue then won a tight mixed doubles final in three games against China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.
South Korea’s An Se-young won the women’s singles, beating 2025 champion Akane Yamaguchi in straight games. Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee took the women’s doubles, beating the top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, the pair who had knocked out India’s medallists in the semi-finals.
India’s results
Women’s doubles: bronze for Treesa and Gayatri
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat China’s Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian 16-21, 21-15, 21-13 in the quarter-finals to guarantee a medal. In the semi-finals they took the first game against top seeds Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning before losing 21-18, 13-21, 8-21. Coach Pullela Gopichand said the pair stopped attacking the shuttle as well as he wanted in the later games.
Singles
- Ayush Shetty produced the shock of India’s week, beating defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in his opening match. He lost in the second round to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan.
- Lakshya Sen lost to Garret Tan of the USA 21-19, 19-21, 17-21, after leading 20-16 in the deciding game with four match points.
- PV Sindhu reached the last 16, where China’s Wang Zhiyi beat her 11-21, 21-15, 17-21.
- Unnati Hooda went out in the last 32 to Canada’s Michelle Li, 21-11, 9-21, 21-23.
Men’s and mixed doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty reached the quarter-finals but lost 18-21, 9-21 to Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, the eventual champions, with Satwik hampered by a shoulder injury. None of India’s three mixed doubles pairs reached the quarter-finals.
India’s championships in summary
| Player or pair | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Treesa Jolly / Gayatri Gopichand | Women’s doubles | Bronze |
| Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty | Men’s doubles | Quarter-final |
| PV Sindhu | Women’s singles | Last 16 |
| Ayush Shetty | Men’s singles | Second round |
| Lakshya Sen | Men’s singles | Early exit |
| Unnati Hooda | Women’s singles | Last 32 |
Indian badminton went on to the Asian Games a month later. See our India at Asian Games 2026 report.
Updated 7 October 2026. Sources: RevSportz, The Bridge, The Week and Yonex.
