As the BWF World Championships 2026 draws closer, the eyes of the entire badminton world will shift to New Delhi. It will be the first time in 17 years that India will be hosting the World Championships. One of the main focuses in this World Championships will be the women’s singles, where India’s ace shuttler PV Sindhu will be in action.
Fresh from her Japan Open win, the star Indian shuttler will be in contention to repeat her success, which she gained in Basel in 2019. However, standing in her way will be her nemesis, An Se Young, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi and Chen Yufei of China, who recently defeated her in the China Open Super 1000.
Here are the five women’s shuttlers who are expected to grab the eyeballs:
An Se Young (South Korea)
The reigning Olympic champion and former World No. 1, An Se Young heads to New Delhi as one of the biggest favourites for the title. The South Korean became her country’s first women’s singles World Champion in 2023 before adding Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games. She further completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Badminton Asia Championships title in 2026, making her one of the most accomplished players of her generation.
Key achievements
- Gold medal – Paris 2024 Olympic Games
- Gold medal – BWF World Championships (2023)
- Gold medal – Asian Games (2022)
- Asian Championships winner (2026)
- Former World No. 1
Wang Zhi Yi (China)
China’s Wang Zhi Yi has established herself among the world’s elite through consistent performances on the HSBC BWF World Tour. A former World No. 1, Wang enjoyed a breakthrough run by winning the Badminton Asia Championships in 2025 before capturing the prestigious All England Open title in 2026. With multiple World Tour titles to her name, she arrives in New Delhi chasing her maiden World Championships crown.
Key achievements
- All England Open Champion (2026)
- Asian Championships Champion (2025)
- Multiple HSBC BWF World Tour titles
- Former World No. 1
Akane Yamaguchi (Japan)
Few players have enjoyed greater success at the BWF World Championships than Akane Yamaguchi. The Japanese star became the first women’s singles player since 2013 to successfully defend the world title after winning consecutive crowns in 2021 and 2022. She added a third World Championships gold in Paris in 2025, cementing her place among the most successful women’s singles players in history. A former World No. 1, Yamaguchi remains one of the biggest threats in New Delhi.
Key achievements
- Gold medal – BWF World Championships (2021)
- Gold medal – BWF World Championships (2022)
- Gold medal – BWF World Championships (2025)
- Former World No. 1
P. V. Sindhu (India)
No Indian women’s singles player will attract more attention than P. V. Sindhu. The Hyderabad shuttler became India’s first badminton World Champion in 2019 and remains the country’s only two-time Olympic badminton medallist. A five-time World Championships medallist, Sindhu heads into her home World Championships after scripting history by becoming the first Indian to win the Japan Open women’s singles title in 2026.
Key achievements
- Gold medal – BWF World Championships (2019)
- Five-time BWF World Championships medallist
- Silver medal – Rio 2016 Olympic Games
- Bronze medal – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
- Japan Open Champion (2026)
- Former World No. 2
Chen Yufei (China)
Olympic champion Chen Yufei has been one of the pillars of Chinese women’s singles for nearly a decade. A former World No. 1, she won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and has been instrumental in China’s success in both the Sudirman Cup and Uber Cup. After finishing runner-up at the 2025 BWF World Championships, Chen arrives in New Delhi aiming to capture the only major individual title missing from her résumé.
Key achievements
- Gold medal – Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
- Silver medal – BWF World Championships (2025)
- Uber Cup champion
- Sudirman Cup champion
- Former World No. 1
Story first published: Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 17:29 [IST]
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