BWF World Championships 2026 Draw: Ayush Shetty To Face Defending Champion Shi Yuqi, PV Sindhu Gets Favourable Opener

India’s medal contenders have received a mixed draw for the BWF World Championships 2026, with Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty set to face defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China in the opening round of the men’s singles event.

The World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex from August 17 to 23, marking India’s return as hosts after a gap of 17 years. The draw ceremony was held in the national capital on Wednesday.

India’s Singles Stars Face Varied Challenges

Five-time World Championships medallist PV Sindhu will begin her campaign against Ireland’s world number 141 Sophia Nobel. The former world champion has avoided some of the top contenders in the early rounds and will look to continue her strong form after winning the Japan Open last month.

Sindhu, placed in the same half of the draw as world number one An Se Young of South Korea, could face China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals, while a potential quarterfinal clash against Indonesia’s sixth seed Putri Wardani could follow.

Lakshya Sen, the 2022 World Championships bronze medallist, will take on Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon in the opening round. The Indian shuttler could face second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the pre-quarterfinals.

Ayush Shetty’s opening-round meeting against Shi Yuqi is expected to be one of the biggest clashes of the first round. The Indian has lost all three of his previous encounters against the Chinese star but has pushed him closely in their past meetings.

Satwik-Chirag Lead India’s Doubles Charge

Fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received a first-round bye in the men’s doubles event. They will face the winners of the match between Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle and Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.

The Indian pair could face Indonesia’s 12th seeds Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in the later rounds. The Indonesian duo had reached the Indonesia Open final earlier this year.

The second Indian men’s doubles pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan will begin their campaign against Ireland’s Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds.

In women’s doubles, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will open against Spain’s Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez. If they progress, they could face USA’s 16th seeds Lauren Lam and Allison Lee in the second round.

Debutants Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam will start against Spain’s Nikol Carulla and Carmen Jimenez, with a possible second-round clash against five-time European champions Gabriela Stoeva and Stefani Stoeva.

The 15th-seeded mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have received a bye in the opening round and could face sixth seeds Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui of China in the round of 16.

Rohan Kapoor and G Ruthvika Shivani will take on Canada’s Jonathan Lai and Crystal Lai in the first round, while Unnati Hooda will face Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar in women’s singles.

India will aim to make the most of home support and challenge for medals across categories, with experienced stars and young talents combining to lead the country’s campaign at the World Championships.