The All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 runs from 3–8 March at the Utilita Arena Birmingham
PV Sindhu is stranded in Dubai due to Gulf airspace closures and will miss the tournament, leaving Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda to lead women’s singles
Lakshya Sen faces world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in men’s singles, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty start in men’s doubles as India’s main medal hopes
The All England Open Badminton Championships 2026 will be held from 3–8 March at the Utilita Arena Birmingham. The tournament is a Super 1000 event on the HSBC BWF World Tour, offering $1,450,000 in prize money.
In the All England Open preview, India will field a 12-member squad across all five disciplines. Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is stranded in Dubai due to Gulf airspace closures amid the ongoing US–Iran conflict.
Sindhu, who was scheduled to face Thailand’s Supanida Katethong in the opening round, will not be able to compete. Her absence shifts India’s women’s singles campaign to Malvika Bansod and Unnati Hooda.
Malvika has drawn Olympic champion Chen Yufei in the first round, while Unnati will face Thailand’s eighth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong after traveling on a rerouted journey via Africa following flight cancellations.
In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen will open against world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yu Qi. The former runner-up has lost four of their five previous encounters.
Rising player Ayush Shetty, fresh from his US Open Super 300 win, will face Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan, a rival from his junior days, with Shetty trailing 2–3 in their head-to-head record. India’s strongest medal hopes lie in men’s doubles, where Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty will begin against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing–Aaron Tai.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly–Gayatri P. Gopichand face Japan’s Sayaka Hirota–Ayako Sakuramoto, returning to a venue where they reached back-to-back semifinals in 2022 and 2023.
Mixed doubles pairs Dhruv Kapila–Tanisha Crasto and Rohan Kapoor–Ruthvika Shivani Gadde meet seeded opposition in the first round, facing Malaysia’s Hoo Pang Ron–Cheng Su Yin and fifth seeds Thom Gicquel–Delphine Delrue, respectively.
All England Open Badminton Championships 2026: Indians In Action
Men’s Singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty
Women’s Singles: Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda
Men’s Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty
Women’s Doubles: Treesa Jolly–Gayatri Gopichand
Mixed Doubles: Dhruv Kapila–Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor–Ruthvika Shivani Gadde
All England Open Badminton Championships 2026: Live Streaming
Indian badminton fans can follow live scores, draws, and updates of the All England Open 2026 on the official BWF website, and live streaming will be available on BWF TV.
