2025 BWF World Championships

Last Updated on September 7, 2025

The 2025 BWF World Championships (also known as the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025 for sponsorship reasons) was the 29th edition of the BWF World Championships, a prestigious global badminton tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The event was held from August 25 to August 31, 2025, at the Adidas Arena in Paris, France. This marked the second time Paris hosted the BWF World Championships, with the previous occasion being in 2010.

Tournament Details

Results and Tournament Draw  Live Score Wikipedia Article Official Website

Champions

Men’s Singles

• 🇨🇳 Shi Yuqi defeated 🇹🇭 Kunlavut Vitidsarn, 19-21, 21-10, 21-18

In a stunning reversal of fortune, China’s Shi Yuqi battled back to claim the 2025 BWF World Championships title, dethroning Thailand’s defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a gritty three-game final. The match seemed to be slipping away after Shi Yuqi fumbled a commanding first-game lead, allowing Vitidsarn to seize the opener. Refusing to capitulate, Shi Yuqi mounted a spectacular comeback, unleashing a dominant performance in the second game and edging a tense decider to secure a 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 victory. This hard-fought win ended a ten-year drought for China in men’s singles, elevating Shi Yuqi to the status of their first world champion since the legendary Chen Long won in 2015.

Women’s Singles

• 🇯🇵 Akane Yamaguchi defeated 🇨🇳 Chen Yufei, 21-9, 21-13

With a powerful performance in Paris, Akane Yamaguchi has joined an exceedingly elite club. The Japanese star has been crowned women’s singles world champion for a third time, a feat only previously accomplished by Spain’s Carolina Marín. Yamaguchi’s incredible journey to a triple crown began with her first title in Huelva (2021), was successfully defended on home soil in Tokyo (2022), and was ultimately completed with a historic third win in Paris (2025), solidifying her legacy as one of the most successful players of her generation.

Men’s Doubles

• 🇰🇷 Kim Won-ho / 🇰🇷 Seo Seung-jae defeated 🇨🇳 Chen Boyang / 🇨🇳 Liu Yi, 21-17, 21-12

Seo Seung-jae captured his third World Championships title and successfully defended the men’s doubles crown with new partner Kim Won-ho, who claimed his first. The victory was South Korea’s sixth in the event, solidifying their position as the third-most successful nation behind Indonesia (10 titles) and China (8).

Women’s Doubles

• 🇨🇳 Liu Shengshu / 🇨🇳 Tan Ning defeated 🇲🇾 Pearly Tan / 🇲🇾 Thinaah Muralitharan, 21-14, 20-22, 21-17

Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning’s victory secured China’s fourth consecutive women’s doubles title at the World Championships, continuing the nation’s historic dominance in the discipline. The win was China’s 24th overall in the category, a number that vastly eclipsed the totals of all other nations. Since the tournament’s inception, only three other countries had ever won the title: Japan (three titles), England, and South Korea (with one title each).

Mixed Doubles

• 🇲🇾 Chen Tang Jie / 🇲🇾 Toh Ee Wei defeated 🇨🇳 Jiang Zhenbang / 🇨🇳 Wei Yaxin, 21-15, 21-14

Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei made history by becoming Malaysia’s first-ever mixed doubles gold medallists at the BWF World Championships. This achievement makes them only the second Malaysian pair to win a world title, after men’s doubles duo Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik achieved the feat in 2022.

Defending Champions

This year’s tournament saw significant changes and unexpected outcomes across all events. While the defending singles champions were set to return, none successfully defended their titles, and the new doubles pairings faced mixed results.

In women’s singles, An Se-young could not defend her title after being defeated in the semifinals by Olympic champion Chen Yufei (21-15, 21-17). Chen Yufei advanced to the final but was ultimately defeated by two-time champion Akane Yamaguchi.

In men’s singles, defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand reached the final but was defeated by China’s Shi Yuqi in a thrilling three-game match.

The doubles events lived up to their billing with significant changes. In men’s doubles, Seo Seung-jae successfully defended his title with his new partner, Kim Won-ho. The formidable Korean duo, who had already claimed three of this year’s four Super 1000 titles, defeated the Chinese pair of Chen Boyang and Liu Yi in the final. Notably, Kang Min-hyuk and his current partner Ki Dong-ju did not qualify for the championship.

For women’s doubles, the defending champion Jia Yifan and her new partner Zhang Shuxian failed to defend their title after being stopped in the quarterfinals by their compatriots and the eventual champions, Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning. Chen Qingchen and her new partner unfortunately did not qualify for the event.

In mixed doubles, defending champion Seo Seung-jae chose to focus solely on men’s doubles. His former partner, Chae Yu-jung, paired with Lee Jong-min but their campaign was short-lived; they were beaten in the early rounds.¹“2025 BWF World Championships Draws”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 13 August 2025.

Daily Schedule and Results

• Day 1, August 25
• Day 2, August 26
• Day 3, August 27
• Day 4, August 28
• Day 5, August 29 | Quarterfinals
• Day 6, August 30 | Semifinals
• Day 7, August 31 | Finals

Tournament Highlights

A Disappointing End to Lee Zii Jia’s Comeback

This year’s tournament carried an extra layer of anticipation, particularly for Malaysian fans, as it was expected to mark the long-awaited return of men’s singles star Lee Zii Jia. Following his participation in the All England Open in March, Lee was sidelined due to a recurring ankle injury, which had limited his competitive play for a significant part of the year. This injury forced him to withdraw from several major tournaments, raising concerns about his form and readiness. After months of intensive rehabilitation and training, the 2021 All England champion was poised to make his comeback on the world stage.

His return was more than just a personal milestone; it was a pivotal moment for Malaysia’s men’s singles hopes. Despite a challenging year and a drop in his world ranking, Lee secured his spot in the championships through a protected ranking from the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The tournament draw had placed him on a challenging path, with a tough first-round opponent, but he was widely expected to advance.

Unfortunately, Lee’s comeback was cut short in a disappointing first-round upset against South Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin (17-21, 11-21). The loss meant that Lee’s dream of securing his first-ever World Championships medal was once again put on hold. The tournament’s early rounds also saw another major upset, with fourth seed Li Shifeng of China, who was expected to face Lee in the second round, also losing in his opening match. Li was defeated by Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in three games (21-19, 11-21, 15-21).

Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, who recently returned to the court, also suffered a tough early-round defeat to France’s 15th seed, Toma Junior Popov. The match went to a nail-biting three games, with Ginting ultimately falling to the home favorite with a score of 18-21, 21-19, 23-25. This marks Ginting’s third consecutive first-round loss since his comeback at the Japan Open.

In the women’s singles draw, former world champion and three-time world junior champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand was also eliminated in the first round. The 10th seeded player was defeated by Vietnam’s Nguyễn Thùy Linh in a two-game sweep, 17-21, 18-21. This unexpected loss makes Intanon the first seeded women’s singles player to be knocked out of the tournament.

Christiansen and Bøje Stun World No. 1s

Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Bøje were back with a bang. The Danish mixed doubles pair, who had recently returned to the court after a year-long ban for Christiansen, sent shockwaves through the badminton world once again. In a thrilling three-game second-round match, they had defeated the world number one and top-seeded Chinese pair, Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping.

After dropping the first game 21-14, Christiansen and Bøje dug deep, showcasing their remarkable comeback form. They powered through the next two games, winning 21-13, 21-18 to clinch the stunning victory. This win at the World Championships had marked just their second tournament appearance of 2025, proving their form was as sharp as ever.

However, the Danish pair’s spirited run at the tournament came to an end in the third round. They were defeated by the Chinese duo of Cheng Xing and Zhang Chi, who ended their campaign in two straight games. The final score of the match was a tight 21-23, 12-21, bringing an end to what was a memorable and surprising run for Christiansen and Bøje in Paris.

Host City Selection

Paris was officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2025 BWF World Championships in November 2018. The selection was part of a larger announcement by the BWF, unveiling 18 major badminton event hosts spanning from 2019 to 2025, aimed at providing long-term certainty for event organizers and participants. The Adidas Arena, a new multi-purpose indoor arena inaugurated for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, was chosen as the venue, offering a state-of-the-art setting for the championship.²Green, Lloyd (November 29, 2018). “BWF Major Event Hosts 2019-2025 Awarded”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved June 29, 2025.

Competition Format

The 2025 BWF World Championships featured five traditional disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The tournament followed a straight knockout format, where losing a match results in elimination. All matches were played as the best of three games, with each game contested to 21 points. A player or pair must win by at least two points, unless the score reaches 29-29, in which case the first to reach 30 points wins the game.

Seeded Players and Teams

Schedule

All times are local, Central European Summer Time (UTC+2).

To catch every smash and rally at the BWF World Championships 2025, we’ve got you covered with a clear breakdown of match start times for various cities worldwide, all in relation to Central European Summer Time (CEST). So, if a match kicks off at 3:00 PM CEST in Paris, you’ll know exactly when to tune in, no matter where you are.

Here’s how your local time compares to CEST:

Same as CEST:

• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Berlin, Germany
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Madrid, Spain
• Oslo, Norway
• Paris, France
• Prague, Czechia
• Rome, Italy
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Vienna, Austria

1 Hour Behind CEST:

• London, United Kingdom
• Dublin, Ireland

2 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Dubai, UAE

3 Hours 30 Minutes Ahead of CEST:

• New Delhi, India

5 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Bangkok, Thailand
• Hanoi, Vietnam
• Jakarta, Indonesia

6 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Beijing, China
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Manila, Philippines
• Perth, Australia
• Singapore, Singapore
• Taipei, Taiwan

6 Hours Behind CEST:

• New York, USA
• Toronto, Canada

7 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Seoul, South Korea
• Tokyo, Japan

8 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Melbourne, Australia
• Sydney, Australia

9 Hours Behind CEST:

• Los Angeles, USA
• Vancouver, Canada

10 Hours Ahead of CEST:

• Auckland, New Zealand

References

• 1
  “2025 BWF World Championships Draws”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
• 2
  Green, Lloyd (November 29, 2018). “BWF Major Event Hosts 2019-2025 Awarded”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved June 29, 2025.