While host China may be the firm favourites, it will still be anybody’s game in the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026, which starts tomorrow at the Qingdao Conson Gymnasium, China.
Even though powerhouse China has opted to use a largely backup squad – as do the rest of the competing nations – they still packed some power in World No. 24 Men’s Singles Wang Zheng Xing, who won the China Masters in 2024.
The 23-year-old will be looked at to provide much of the drive in the men’s competition, as China looks to defend the title they won two years ago in Malaysia.
Placed in Group A, host China will be up against Thailand and Macau, while Group B will have Chinese Taipei, Korea and Hong Kong battling it out.
With world No. 1 Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae in the squad, Korea should be able to make the knockout stage with ease.
Three-time winners of the men’s competition (2016, 2018 and 2020), Indonesia will have the motivating ambition of the young Moh. Zaki Ubaidillah and veteran Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s experience is thrown into the mix.
The 18-year-old Moh. Zaki, who has been making his mark in the last year in several junior competitions, finally delivered his first major win at the end of 2025 with the Indonesia Masters II title and recently at the Thailand Masters, when he beat the older Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul in the final.
Indonesia is in Group D against Malaysia and Myanmar, while Group C will have Japan, India, and Singapore.
Koki Watanabe will be up for Japan, while former world champion Loh Kean Yew will turn out for Singapore.
In the women’s division, China will have world No. 10 Women’s Singles, Gao Fang Jie, and world No. 4 Women’s Doubles, Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xia,n providing much of the thrust as they look to regain the title they won ten years ago.
However, China will not be expected to struggle too much in their Group W, where they only have Malaysia for company.
China was the winner in 2016 when the tournament was restarted after a hiatus of 23 years, and the women’s division was introduced.
Japan picked up the crown in 2018 and 2020, while Indonesia emerged victorious in 2022, and India, as the defending champions, when the tournament starts tomorrow in Qingdao.
With world No. 12 Women’s Singles PV Sindhu out ‘with a niggling issue’, the rest of the squad will have to pull up their socks and provide the resistance in Group Y, which will also feature Thailand and Myanmar.
World No.15 Busanan Ongbamrungphan will be the player to watch for Thailand, while for Myanmar, they only have world No. 116 Thet Htar Thuzar, the only experienced player in the squad.
Japan is in Group X alongside Indonesia and Hong Kong, while Group Z features Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Singapore.
