The caravan of the world’s top badminton stars now moves to Birmingham for the BWF Super 1000 All England Open 2026, scheduled to take place from March 2 to 8.
This is not just another BWF tournament. The All England Open is often regarded as badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in tennis. Founded in 1899, the All England Badminton Championships remains the oldest and one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport.
The total prize pool for this year stands at $1,450,000, offering maximum ranking points on the BWF World Tour circuit.
In men’s singles, world No. 1 and defending champion Shi Yuqi of China enters as the top seed and is set for a blockbuster opening-round clash against India’s top shuttler Lakshya Sen.
If Sen manages to win the tough first match, he will face a challenging field stacked with elite contenders, including Denmark’s Anders Antonsen and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.
In women’s singles, world No. 1 An Se-young will aim to defend her crown and chase a third All England title. However, the tournament will miss one of its biggest stars, as India’s two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has been forced to withdraw after being stranded in Dubai due to ongoing Middle East tensions.
What a opening round fixture!🤩
Last year’s winner and World Number 1 Shi Yu Qi vs runner up in 2022, Lakshya Sen!
It’s bound to be an explosive opening round game!💚💙
Get your tickets now#YAE26 #YonexAllEngland pic.twitter.com/Waw9UvTSVA
— 🏆 Yonex All England Badminton Championships 🏆 (@YonexAllEngland) February 27, 2026
In men’s doubles, defending champions Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae return to defend their title in what would be a brutal draw as they face stiff competition from the top-seeded Chinese pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.
India’s fourth-seeded duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will open their campaign against Malaysia’s Kang Khai Xing and Aaron Tai, hoping to make a deep run and end their title drought.
Where to watch the BWF All England Open 2026 matches in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, And Worldwide?
The All England Open 2026 matches will be live streamed on the official YouTube channel of Badminton World Federation, BWF TV.
However, the live stream may be subject to geo-location restrictions depending on regional broadcast rights. Detailed country-wise streaming information for major nations will be updated in this article once confirmed.
