Ayush Shetty faces Shi Yu Qi in first round New Delhi; reigning world champion Shi Yu Qi

BWF World Badminton Championships 2026 draw: PV Sindhu, Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen learn their paths

Ayush Shetty was handed a challenging draw as he faces top seed and world champion Shi Yu Qi of China in the first round.

India’s leading players PV Sindhu , Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty and Lakshya Sen learned their draws for the BWF World Badminton Championships 2026 following the official ceremony held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The 30th edition of the badminton tournament will be played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23, with India fielding two entries in each of the five disciplines.

Former world champion PV Sindhu opens her women’s singles campaign against Ireland’s world No. 141 Sophia Noble.

Should the ninth-seeded Indian badminton player advance, she will face either Bulgaria’s Stefani Stoeva or Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang, both ranked outside the world’s top 40, in the second round.

A potential third-round clash against China’s Wang Zhi Yi could await Sindhu.

India’s highest-seeded entry, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, received a first-round bye in the men’s doubles.

The Asian Games doubles champions will begin their campaign against either Germany’s Bjarne Geiss-Jones Ralfy Jansen or Singapore’s Eng Keat Wesley Koh-Junsuke Kubo. If the Indian pair progress, they could meet Indonesia’s 12th seeds Ramond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in the third round.

In the men’s singles, 14th seed Lakshya Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 BWF World Championships , starts against Austria’s world No. 132 Collins Valentine Filimon.

Victory would set up a second-round meeting with either Egypt’s Ahmed Elgamal or Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko, before a potential third-round showdown with second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand.

Ayush Shetty ,meanwhile, has been handed the toughest opening assignment among the Indian contingent after drawing reigning world champion and top seed Shi Yu Qi of the People’s Republic of China in the first round.

Elsewhere, India’s second women’s singles representative Unnati Hooda will face Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar in the opener, with 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada a likely second-round opponent.

In mixed doubles, 15th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also received a first-round bye.

BWF World Badminton Championships 2026: India first-round draw

Lakshya Sen (14) vs Collins Valentine Filimon (Austria)

Ayush Shetty vs Shi Yu Qi (China, 1)

PV Sindhu (9) vs Sophia Noble (Ireland)

Unnati Hooda vs Thet Htar Thuzar (Myanmar)

Chirag Shetty (5) - Bye

MR Arjun vs Scott Guildea

Gayatri Gopichand Pullela vs Paula Lopez

Simran Singhi vs Nikol Carulla

Tanisha Crasto (15) - Bye

Ruthvika Shivani Gadde vs Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai

When PV Sindhu became Indian badminton’s golden girl