The BWF World Championships 2026 began in New Delhi on Monday, August 17, marking the return of badminton’s biggest individual tournament to India after a gap of 17 years. The championships are being held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium and will continue until August 23.
India entered the tournament with strong expectations, with several established players and emerging talents representing the country across singles and doubles events. The opening day brought an encouraging start for the home side as the men’s doubles combination of Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun secured a place in the next round.
Amsakarunan and Arjun faced Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds in the opening round. The Indian pair won the first game 21-16 and were leading 6-4 in the second game when their opponents retired hurt. As a result, the Indian combination progressed to the next round of the tournament.
The victory provided India with an early boost in front of the home crowd. Speaking after the match, Amsakarunan and Arjun said the support from the spectators helped increase their confidence during the contest.
The attention then shifted towards some of India’s leading singles players. Two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion PV Sindhu is scheduled to begin her women’s singles campaign against Ireland’s Sophia Noble in the opening round.
Sindhu remains one of the most experienced players in the Indian contingent. Having won the world title previously, she will be looking to make a strong start to her campaign in front of the home audience.
The tournament is particularly significant for Sindhu because India is hosting the World Championships for the first time since 2009. The return of the event to Indian soil has generated considerable interest among badminton fans across the country.
Another major attraction on the opening day is young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty. The 21 year old is making his World Championships debut and faces a difficult opening-round challenge against China’s Shi Yu Qi.
Shi Yu Qi enters the tournament as the reigning world champion and current world number one. The match therefore represents one of the toughest possible tests for the Indian debutant.
Despite the challenge, Shetty arrives at the championships with growing international experience. He has emerged as one of the promising young players in Indian badminton and earned his place in the World Championships squad following a series of encouraging performances.
India’s women’s doubles combination of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand is also scheduled to compete on the opening day. The pair will face Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez in their first-round match.
Another Indian women’s doubles combination, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, is also part of the Day 1 schedule. Both players are among the younger names looking to gain valuable experience on the world stage.
The Indian contingent includes representation across all five disciplines at the championships. In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty are representing India. PV Sindhu and Unnati Hooda are competing in women’s singles.
In men’s doubles, India has the established combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, along with Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun. Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, as well as Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi, are representing India in women’s doubles.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are among India’s biggest medal hopes at the tournament. The pair has previously won World Championships bronze medals and will be looking to go further this time.
Lakshya Sen is another important name in India’s men’s singles campaign. However, he and the Satwik Chirag combination are scheduled to begin their campaigns on the following day rather than on the opening day.
The 2026 World Championships are especially important for Indian badminton because the country has enjoyed a strong record at recent editions. India has won at least one medal at every World Championships since 2011, creating expectations for another podium finish this year.
Hosting the event in New Delhi also gives the Indian players the advantage of competing before a home crowd. The atmosphere inside the stadium is expected to remain a major feature throughout the week as fans follow the progress of the country’s leading shuttlers.
The championships feature the world’s best badminton players across men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. More than 300 players from 52 countries are taking part in the competition, highlighting the international scale of the event.
For India, the tournament combines experience and youth. Sindhu brings years of major-event experience, while players such as Ayush Shetty, Unnati Hooda, Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi are looking to establish themselves at the highest level.
The opening victory for Amsakarunan and Arjun has given the home contingent an encouraging beginning. Their progress also provides an early indication of the competitiveness of India’s doubles players.
With Sindhu preparing for her first match and Ayush Shetty facing the defending world champion, the focus remains firmly on the Indian players. The results from these matches will determine how strongly India moves into the next stage of the competition.
The BWF World Championships will continue in New Delhi through August 23, with the later rounds expected to attract even greater attention. For Indian badminton fans, the tournament provides a rare opportunity to watch the world’s leading shuttlers compete on home soil while supporting a strong Indian contingent.