Sport Culture

On April 23, 2026, Beijing time, only one day remains before the 2026 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals officially begin in Horsens, Denmark. As teams arrive in this small Nordic city, the atmosphere surrounding the tournament has already become charged with tension, curiosity, and drama.

According to official information, the Horsens Arena can hold around 4,000 spectators. But media and players at the venue have noticed something even more striking: the first row of seats is so close to the court that fans almost feel within arm’s reach of players warming up on the sidelines.

Some fans joked that playing in this venue feels like hosting a badminton party in your own living room. The audience may not even need to stand up to borrow a towel from the players.

Compared with the grand scale of the 2024 Thomas & Uber Cup in Chengdu, the setup in Horsens feels almost minimalist. Yet this simplicity creates a rare close-up viewing experience, giving this year’s tournament a raw, intimate, and unusually personal atmosphere from the very beginning.

The minimalist style also seems to extend beyond the court. Indian star H. S. Prannoy shared photos of his hotel room on social media, showing a space so tight that there was hardly enough room to open a suitcase. Some players even reportedly had to share one bed.

The welcome dinner was held in a former prison building, with long tables and benches arranged in rows. Team members described the scene as feeling more like a group buffet at a workplace canteen. All of this has made the 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup highly talked-about before the first shuttle is even struck.

2026 Thomas Cup Group Stage Draw

Thomas Cup — Men’s Team

Group A: China, India, Canada, Australia
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, England, Finland
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Denmark, South Korea, Sweden
Group D: Indonesia, France, Thailand, Algeria

Germany withdrew from the Thomas Cup, with Finland taking its place.

2026 Uber Cup Group Stage Draw

Uber Cup — Women’s Team

Group A: China, India, Denmark, Ukraine
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Türkiye, South Africa
Group C: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Canada, Australia
Group D: South Korea, Thailand, Bulgaria, Spain

France withdrew from the Uber Cup, with Spain taking its place.

China Team Roster for the 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup in Denmark

Thomas Cup — Men’s Team

Shi Yuqi, Li Shifeng, Weng Hongyang, Lu Guangzu
Liang Weikeng / Wang Chang, Chen Boyang / Liu Yi, He Jiting / Ren Xiangyu

Uber Cup — Women’s Team

Wang Zhiyi, Chen Yufei, Han Yue, Xu Wenjing
Liu Shengshu / Tan Ning, Jia Yifan / Zhang Shuxian, Li Yijing / Luo Xumin

Indonesia Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Jonatan Christie, Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Alwi Farhan, Marcus
Indra, Alfian, Fikri, Isfahani, Kataman, Joaquin

Uber Cup

Wardani, Prasatiwi, Ester, Talita
Alesia, Ramadhanti, Febi, Amalia, Melissa, Kusuma

South Korea Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Yoo Tae-bin, Choi Ji-hoon, Park Sang-yong, Cho Hyun-woo
Kim Won-ho, Seo Seung-jae, Jin Yong, Ki Dong-ju, Cho Song-hyun, Lee Jong-min

Uber Cup

An Se-young, Kim Ga-eun, Sim Yu-jin, Kim Ga-ram
Baek Ha-na, Lee So-hee, Kim Hye-jeong, Jeong Na-eun, Lee Yeon-woo, Lee Seo-jin

Japan Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Kodai Naraoka, Rin Iwanaga, Yushi Tanaka, Koki Watanabe
Takuro Hoki / Daiki Midorikawa, Sho Kumagai / Dai Nishikawa, Takumi Nomura / Yuichi Shimogami

Uber Cup

Akane Yamaguchi, Tomoka Miyazaki, Riko Gunji, Manami Suizu
Yuki Fukushima / Mayu Matsumoto, Rin Iwanaga / Kie Nakanishi, Arisa Igarashi / Chiharu Shida

Malaysia Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Lee Zii Jia, Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh, Aidil Sholeh
Soh Wooi Yik, Aaron Chia, Goh Sze Fei, Nur Izzuddin, Wan Arif, Yap Roy King

Uber Cup

Goh Jin Wei, Wong Ling Ching, Letshanaa, Zulaikha
Tina, Low Zi Yu, Aqilah, Ong Xin Yee, Tan Wei Wen, Choong Jie Yu

Malaysia’s women’s doubles core player Pearly Tan will miss the Uber Cup due to injury. Young player Choong Jie Yu has been called up as a replacement and will partner Tina.

France Thomas Cup Roster

Toma Junior Popov, Alex Lanier, Christo Popov, Roy
Renoir, Rio, Villeger, Mayu, Irloue, Caton

Thailand Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Panitchaphon, Phridat, Imjit
Chaninphon, Thongsa, Peeratchai, Pakapol, Dechapol, Ruttanapak

Uber Cup

Ratchanok Intanon, Supanida Katethong, Pornpawee Chochuwong, Busanan Ongbamrungphan
Hathaitip, Naphaphakorn, Benyapa, Ornnicha, Supissara, Jennicha

Chinese Taipei Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Chou Tien-chen, Lin Chun-yi, Chi Yu-jen, Lee Chia-hao
Chiu Hsiang-chieh, Wang Chi-lin, Lee Jhe-huei, Yang Po-hsuan, Liu Kuang-heng, Yang Po-han

Uber Cup

Chiu Pin-chian, Lin Hsiang-ti, Huang Yu-hsun, Sung Shuo-yun
Hsieh Pei-shan, Hung En-tzu, Hsu Yin-hui, Lin Chih-yun, Hsu Ya-ching, Sung Yu-hsuan

Denmark Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Anders Antonsen, Rasmus Gemke, Magnus Johannesen, Ditlev Jaeger Holm
Kim Astrup, Mads Vestergaard, Mathias Christiansen, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Kjaer, Lungaard

Gemke has withdrawn from the Thomas Cup due to a foot injury, with 19-year-old William Boegbjoerg called up as a late replacement.

Uber Cup

Line Christophersen, Amalie Schulz, Mia Blichfeldt, Line Kjaersfeldt
Boer, Busch, Amalie, Simone, Wærg, Crawshaw

India Team Roster

Thomas Cup

Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, H. S. Prannoy, Kiran George
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Arjun, Kapila, Hariharan

Uber Cup

P. V. Sindhu, Hooda, Sharma, Sihag, Barua
Crasto, Selvam, Singhi, Priya / Mishra

India’s women’s doubles player Treesa Jolly has also suffered an injury, with Priya and Mishra stepping in. Japan’s men’s doubles player Yugo Kobayashi has withdrawn from the Thomas Cup, with Daiki Midorikawa replacing him.

China Begins Its Title Defense

As the defending champion in both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, China departed Beijing on April 18 and arrived in Horsens, quickly beginning its on-site training and adaptation.

Shi Yuqi and Jia Yifan will serve as the captains of the men’s and women’s teams, carrying the responsibility of leading China’s title defense. In a pre-tournament interview, Shi Yuqi admitted that every edition is often described as the toughest one, but the key lies in adjusting the mindset and maintaining the desire to win.

Jia Yifan takes the captain’s role for the Uber Cup team, leading a squad that blends experienced players with rising talent. Chen Yufei, Wang Zhiyi, and Han Yue form the core of the singles lineup, while 18-year-old Xu Wenjing makes her first appearance on the roster. In doubles, the team is supported by the young pair Liu Shengshu / Tan Ning, as well as Jia Yifan partnering Zhang Shuxian.

This Chinese team has both experience and momentum. But South Korea’s An Se-young, Japan’s combination of Akane Yamaguchi and Tomoka Miyazaki, and what may be Ratchanok Intanon’s final dance with Thailand will all become major challenges on China’s road to defending the Uber Cup.

The Mindset Before the First Match

Pre-tournament interviews have revealed different mindsets among the leading players from each team.

Japan men’s team captain Takuro Hoki was direct: “Since we are here, the goal is the championship.” He believes the younger players have the fearless energy of newcomers and sees his role as helping them avoid unnecessary pressure.

Yushi Tanaka’s words carried a more youthful sincerity. He recalled hearing in high school that Japan had won the Thomas Cup. Even without a phone at the time, he clearly remembered the shock of feeling that “Japan was the strongest in the world.” Now selected for the Thomas Cup team himself, he hopes that no matter the score when he steps onto the court, he can play his own style.

Indonesian star Anthony Sinisuka Ginting turned his attention to France, a team in the same group. He acknowledged that France’s singles players have been in strong form, especially after beating Denmark at this year’s European Team Championships. But he also emphasized Indonesia’s own singles depth, from Jonatan Christie to Alwi Farhan and himself.

“The match is not played on paper. It is played on the court.”

Japan women’s team captain Kie Nakanishi said this will be her first Uber Cup appearance. She admitted that being chosen as captain came as a surprise, but she does not feel overwhelmed by pressure.

“I think as long as I show the spirit of moving forward and refuse to lose in momentum, it will have a positive impact on the team.”

She also mentioned her experience at last year’s Sudirman Cup, when she stepped in after senior players such as Yuki Fukushima. Since then, the feeling of “next time, we need to contribute with our own strength” has become much stronger.

From being protected by senior players to becoming someone others can rely on, this sense of passing the torch is exactly what makes team events like the Uber Cup so moving.

On the afternoon of April 24, Beijing time, China’s men’s team will face Australia, while the women’s team will take on Ukraine. The title defense officially begins in the “living room” of this small Nordic city.

The stage for the 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup may not be as luxurious as previous editions, but the hunger for the championship remains just as intense. China’s men’s team begins another title defense, while the women’s team faces strong challenges from South Korea and Japan.

Can Shi Yuqi and Jia Yifan lead China to continue the glory of Chengdu?