New Delhi prepares to welcome badminton’s biggest stage as the World Championships return to India after 17 years, with PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and a new generation of Indian shuttlers carrying the home challenge
The wait is finally over.
From August 17 to 23, New Delhi will become the centre of world badminton as the BWF World Championships 2026 arrive at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. For India, this is more than another major tournament. It is the return of badminton’s biggest individual championship to the country after a 17-year gap.
The championship will bring the best players in the world together across five events — men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles — with the ultimate prize being a world title rather than conventional tournament prize money.
And for Indian fans, the question is no longer simply who will win? It is whether the home crowd can witness another chapter in the country’s remarkable rise in badminton.
India’s biggest names take centre stage
The Indian challenge will be led by some of the country’s most recognisable shuttlers.
PV Sindhu enters the tournament with history within reach. The two-time Olympic medallist is chasing a record sixth World Championships medal, a feat that would further underline her extraordinary consistency at the event. Sindhu has already won five World Championships medals, including gold in 2019.
In the men’s singles, Lakshya Sen will be among India’s key medal hopes. The former World Championships bronze medallist will be looking to turn home advantage into another deep run.
The spotlight will also fall on the younger generation. Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam are among the Indian players making their World Championships debuts, giving the tournament an additional storyline for the host nation.
Satwik-Chirag absence adds another twist
One of India’s strongest medal combinations in recent years, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, will not be able to lead the men’s doubles campaign this time.
Their presence has been a major part of India’s recent World Championships success. The pair won bronze at the 2022 World Championships and again stood on the podium in 2025, becoming India’s first men’s doubles pair to win a World Championships medal.
Their absence leaves an opportunity for India’s other doubles combinations to step forward on home soil.
The numbers behind the championship
Tournament: BWF World Championships 2026
Dates: August 17–23, 2026
Venue: Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi
Edition: 30th World Championships
Events: 5
Singles draw: 64 players
Doubles draw: 48 pairs
Scoring: Best of three games, 21 points per game
The tournament will progress from the opening rounds to the finals over seven days, with the quarter-finals scheduled for August 21, semi-finals on August 22 and the five world champions crowned on August 23.
Why this edition matters to India
The last time India hosted the World Championships was in Hyderabad in 2009. Since then, Indian badminton has undergone a dramatic transformation.
The country has produced a world champion in Sindhu, men’s singles medallists including Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, and a historic men’s doubles partnership in Satwik and Chirag.
That makes the 2026 championship feel very different from the event India hosted 17 years ago.
Back then, India was still fighting to establish itself among badminton’s strongest nations. Now, the home team arrives with genuine medal expectations.
A global battle with Indian history at stake
The Indian challenge, however, will face an international field packed with champions.
Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, China’s Shi Yuqi, and other established stars will be among the names carrying the pressure of winning the sport’s biggest individual crown. Shi enters as the reigning men’s world champion after winning his maiden title in 2025, while Yamaguchi is a three-time women’s singles world champion.
For the Indian contingent, the task is simple to describe but extremely difficult to execute: survive the early rounds, handle the pressure of home expectations and still have enough left when the tournament reaches its decisive weekend.
Where Indian fans can watch
With the championships being staged in New Delhi, attention will not be confined to the stadium.
Indian viewers will be able to follow the competition through JioStar platforms, including JioHotstar, with television coverage also available through the Star Sports network.
The tournament begins on August 17, with the opening rounds setting the tone for what promises to be a week of high-pressure badminton.
For India, this is not simply a tournament coming home.
It is a chance to measure how far Indian badminton has travelled since 2009 — and whether the next generation can create a new memory on home soil.
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