Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 Begin in Qingdao

Qingdao, China – The Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 begin Tuesday at the Qingdao Conson Gymnasium, bringing together top Asian nations in men's and women's team competitions as a key qualifier for the Thomas and Uber Cup finals in Denmark this spring. Host China enters as favorites to defend the men's title from two years ago, while India faces a challenging defense of its women's crown without star player PV Sindhu, who withdrew due to a minor injury.

The sixth edition of the biennial event features eight teams per division, divided into four groups. Matches consist of five ties: three singles and two doubles. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals, with semifinals and finals set for the weekend. For India, the women's team, which claimed its first-ever gold in the 2024 edition in Malaysia, now relies on a younger lineup after Sindhu's absence. The 30-year-old, a two-time Olympic medalist and former world champion, had recently returned from a foot injury, reaching the semifinals at the Malaysia Open and quarterfinals at the Indonesia Masters. A source familiar with the matter confirmed her withdrawal stemmed from a slight niggle, similar to a...