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India got a difficult draw in Thomas and Uber Cup, BWF gave place in China’s group

Samira Vishwas | March 19, 2026 3:24 PM CST

Indian badminton teams have received tough draws for the Thomas and Uber Cup. India has been placed in the same group with defending champions China. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced the draw on Wednesday. The 34th season of the Thomas Cup and the 31st season of the Uber Cup will be held in Horsens, Denmark from April 24 to May 3.

The Indian men’s team, which created history by winning its first Thomas Cup title in the year 2022, has been placed in Group A along with China, Canada and Australia. India had lost to China in the quarter-finals of the last tournament (2024). In the Uber Cup, the Indian women’s team is also in Group A with current and 16-time champion China. Hosts Denmark and Ukraine are the other teams in this group. India had exited the Uber Cup in the last tournament after losing to Japan in the quarter-finals.

China’s team is very strong

China has a strong men’s team, which includes Shi Yuqi (world no. 2) and Li Shi Feng (world no. 7), along with Weng Hong Yang (world no. 17) and Lu Guang Zhu (world no. 18). However, India will take confidence from Lakshya Sen’s recent form. The player, who has made the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics 2024, had defeated Feng when he finished runner-up at the All England Championships earlier this month.

How did you get qualification for Thomas Cup?

India had created history by winning its first Thomas Cup title in Bangkok in 2022. India became only the sixth country to win the trophy by defeating 14-time champions Indonesia 3-0 in the final. India qualified for the 2026 Thomas Cup based on its position in the BWF Men’s Team Rankings after the Badminton Asia Team Championships. The women’s team also confirmed its place in the Uber Cup through world ranking.

A total of 16 teams, divided into four groups of four teams each, will play the round robin league, in which there will be five matches (three singles and two doubles) in each match. Top-2 teams from each group will reach the quarter-finals.

thomas cup draw

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

uber cup draw

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