NEW DELHI, August 13, 2026: India is preparing to welcome the world’s leading badminton players as the BWF World Championships 2026 get underway at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, bringing the sport’s premier individual championship back to the country after a gap of 17 years.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA), in a statement issued ahead of the Championships, welcomed athletes, officials and fans from across the world and described the tournament as another important milestone in India’s growing profile as a host of major international sporting events.
For Indian badminton, however, the event carries significance well beyond hosting rights. Competing in front of a home crowd, India will seek to extend a World Championships medal run that has continued at every edition since 2011.
A major event in India’s sporting journey
The Championships are among badminton’s most prestigious competitions, with world titles to be decided in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
The IOA said the successful staging of the event reflects the continued development of India’s sports infrastructure, athlete pathways, high-performance programmes and ability to host international competition. It also said major championships can inspire young people to take up sport, give Indian athletes and officials greater international exposure and leave a longer-term sporting legacy.
“The BWF World Championships 2026 represent another important milestone in India’s sporting journey. We are delighted to welcome the world’s leading badminton players, officials and fans to New Delhi.”
Dr. P. T. Usha, President, Indian Olympic Association
The return of the World Championships also strengthens India’s ambition to become a preferred destination for continental and global events across multiple sports.
India’s home challenge
India has qualified two entries in each of the five disciplines. Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty are listed in men’s singles, while former world champion P. V. Sindhu and Unnati Hooda lead the women’s singles challenge.
In men’s doubles, two-time World Championships bronze medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be joined by Hariharan Amsakarunan and M. R. Arjun. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, along with Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, are India’s women’s doubles entries. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, complete the home representation in mixed doubles.
India has won 15 medals in World Championships history, beginning with Prakash Padukone’s bronze in 1983. Sindhu remains the country’s only world champion after her 2019 triumph and is India’s most successful athlete at the event with five medals. Rankireddy and Shetty’s bronze in Paris in 2025 extended India’s medal streak at the Championships.
Venue upgrades after India Open concerns
The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium enters the World Championships under closer scrutiny after players raised concerns about air quality, cold conditions, hygiene and animal control during the India Open in January.
At the time, the Badminton World Federation said the venue met its field-of-play requirements while acknowledging operational challenges and promising that feedback from players and teams would guide improvements before the World Championships.
Since then, the Badminton Association of India, the Sports Authority of India and the Union Sports Ministry have carried out a substantial revamp. Reported measures include sealing ventilation points used by birds, installing a triple-door entry system, upgrading ceilings, walls and restrooms, improving the approach for spectators and preparing court flooring to updated BWF specifications.
BAI secretary general Sanjay Mishra has said the shortcomings identified during the India Open have been rectified and expressed confidence that the upgraded venue will deliver a better experience for players and fans.
A week with lasting significance
With the world’s elite arriving in the capital and India fielding contenders across all five events, the Championships offer both a test of organisational readiness and an opportunity to deepen badminton’s already strong following in the country.
For the hosts, success will be measured not only by results on court, but also by the quality of the tournament experience and the legacy it creates for future athletes, fans and international events in India.
Source note: This report is based on a media release issued by the Indian Olympic Association on August 13, 2026, and received by SportsNet News. Tournament dates and entry information were checked against the BWF World Championships website and published reports from The Tribune and Hindustan Times.
