Thomas Cup – 3S.INFO

Publication date: 02 Aug 2023

About the Thomas Badminton Cup

The Thomas Cup is a men’s World Team Badminton Championship held every two years since 1948. It involves countries representing the Badminton World Federation (BWF), which is the main body of the sport. A total of 16 teams compete in the preliminary round and 12 in the final round of the tournament.

Starting in 1984, a similar women’s competition, the Uber Cup, has been held at the same time as the Thomas Cup.

BWF official website

2026 Thomas Cup

According to preliminary information, the Thomas Cup 2026 will be held from April 24 to May 3 in Horsens, Denmark. This is the first time that Horsens, located in the central part of the country, is hosting a competition of this scale. Modern sports arenas, convenient logistics and fan support make Denmark an excellent choice for hosting an international tournament.

It is worth noting that Denmark is a country with rich traditions in badminton and one of the few European teams that can compete on equal terms with the leaders from Asia.

Who will participate?

The final stage of the Thomas Cup 2026 will be attended by 16 national men’s teams, selected based on the results of continental qualifications and the world ranking. Among the favorites:

China is one of the most titled participants,
Indonesia is the record holder for the number of victories in the tournament,
Denmark is the host country and the strongest team in Europe,
Japan, Malaysia, India, South Korea are teams with high potential and star players.
Representatives from America, Oceania, Africa and other Asian countries that have successfully passed the qualifying stages are also expected to participate.

What makes the Thomas Cup 2026 special?

Team format: each meeting consists of five matches (three singles and two doubles), which gives the tournament strategic depth.

High level of players: the best athletes on the planet will meet on the court, including Olympic champions and world ranking leaders.

Crowd support: the atmosphere in Horsens, Denmark, promises to be hot – local fans are known for their activity and love of badminton.

History of the Thomas Cup

The idea of holding such a significant badminton competition was proposed in 1939 by Sir George Alan Thomas, a famous sportsman of those times. Almost immediately he presented the main prize for which athletes would compete – the Challenge Cup of the International Badminton Championship – worth $40,000.

Originally, the first competition was scheduled to take place almost as soon as the idea was presented to the public. However, due to World War II, the idea had to be postponed for almost 10 years.

The first Thomas Cup competitions were held in 1948-49. 10 national teams took part in them and 3 qualification zones were created. Team Malaya (now Malaysia) were the first winners, beating Team Denmark 8-1.

Over time, the number of teams started to increase and a fourth qualifying zone was added.

Until 1964, the winning country did not take part in the off-season matches and defended its title only in the decisive round.

In the history of the Thomas Cup competition, the Indonesian national team has won 14 titles. China has 10 victories to its credit. The Malaysian team has won 5 times and reached the final 14 times.