New Delhi, March 18 The Indian men's and women's teams were given a challenging draw alongside defending champions China on Wednesday for the 2026 Thomas and Uber Cup, to be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3.
Both the Indian teams are seeded eighth in the tournament based on their individual players' world rankings. The draw was announced by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Wednesday.
The 2022 Thomas Cup champions, India, are favourites to claim one of the two quarter-final spots from Group A, which also includes Pan Am champions Canada and Oceania champions Australia.
However, the women's team has a slightly more challenging path to the knockout stages as it is grouped with European team championships runners-up Denmark and bronze medallists Ukraine, along with 16-time champions China.
"We have a decent draw and a chance to reach the quarter-finals in both the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup competitions. We have a strong team that has proven that they can beat any top team on their day, and once we reach the quarter-finals, anything is possible," said Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary general Sanjay Mishra while responding to the draw for the prestigious team championships.
While the Indian men created history by winning the 2022 edition of the Thomas Cup, the women's squad has won the bronze medal in the 2014 and 2016 editions.
India lost to China in the quarter-finals of the last edition in 2024.
The Indian women were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing to Japan in the previous edition.
China boasts a formidable men's lineup with Shi Yu Qi (world No. 2) and Li Shi Feng (No. 7), Weng Hong Yang (No. 17) and Lu Guang Zu (No. 18) in their ranks.
However, India will draw confidence from Lakshya Sen's recent form, as the Paris Olympics semi-finalist stunned Feng en route to a runner-up finish at the All-England Championships earlier this month.
India created history in 2022 by winning their maiden Thomas Cup title in Bangkok, becoming only the sixth nation to lift the trophy after a 3-0 win over 14-time champions Indonesia in the final.
India qualified for the 2026 Thomas Cup through their position in the BWF men's team rankings following the Badminton Asia Team Championships.
The women's team also secured their Uber Cup berth via the world rankings.
A total of 16 teams – divided into four groups of four – will play round-robin league with each tie consisting of five matches (three singles and two doubles).
The top two teams from each group will make 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, Turkey, South Africa; Group C: Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Canada, Australia; Group D: Korea, Thailand, Bulgaria, Spain.