BWF World Tour Super 1000

The BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournaments represent the pinnacle of regular-season competition in professional badminton, showcasing the sport’s elite athletes in thrilling battles for supremacy. These events are a crucial part of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour, which was established in 2018, replacing the former BWF Super Series.

Initially, when the BWF World Tour was launched, there were three prestigious Super 1000 events: the iconic All England Open, the formidable China Open, and the fiercely contested Indonesia Open. These tournaments quickly became cornerstones of the badminton calendar, offering significant ranking points and substantial prize money, drawing the biggest stars of the sport.

However, the landscape of the Super 1000 circuit expanded starting in 2023. The BWF recognized the growing stature and popularity of the Malaysia Open, upgrading its status from a Super 750 event to a Super 1000 tournament. This elevation brought the total number of Super 1000 events to four, further intensifying the competition and providing more opportunities for top-tier badminton action throughout the season.

Looking ahead, the BWF has announced significant enhancements to the Super 1000 category, taking effect from 2027. These changes aim to further elevate the prestige and financial rewards associated with these premier tournaments. From 2027 onwards, all Super 1000 events will feature a minimum prize fund of US$2,000,000, a substantial increase from the minimum of $1,450,000 set for 2026. This significant boost in prize money underscores the BWF’s commitment to professionalizing the sport and rewarding its top athletes.

Beyond the financial incentives, the format for the singles categories in Super 1000 events will also undergo a major transformation starting in 2027. Borrowing a page from Grand Slams in tennis, the singles categories will adopt a group stage featuring 48 players. This will allow for more matches and potentially more diverse matchups in the early rounds. Consequently, these tournaments will span over an extended period of 11 days, providing players with more rest between matches and offering fans a longer, more immersive experience of elite badminton. These forward-looking changes highlight the BWF’s continuous efforts to innovate and enhance the spectacle of the BWF World Tour Super 1000 events.