Thomas Cup 2028 – 3S.INFO

Last Updated: 12 may 2026

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.

2028 Thomas Cup

According to preliminary information, the 2028 Thomas Cup badminton tournament may be held in Jakarta. It is expected to take place alongside the women’s Uber Cup 2028. Organizers are also considering expanding the competition format. The number of participating teams could potentially increase to 24. The official venue has not yet been confirmed. However, Indonesia is considered the leading contender to host the tournament.

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 championship

The idea of holding a significant badminton competition was proposed in 1939. It was introduced by Sir George Alan Thomas, a famous sportsman of that time. Almost immediately, he presented the main prize for which athletes would compete. It was the Challenge Cup of the International Badminton Championship, worth $40,000. Originally, the first competition was scheduled to take place shortly after the idea was announced. However, due to World War II, it 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.