Arctic Open 2026 Draw: Vitidsarn and Intanon Top Seeds as Lee Zii Jia Starts in Qualifying
The Arctic Open 2026 draw is officially out, setting up a number of intriguing first-round matches for the BWF World Tour Super 500 event in Vantaa, Finland.
The Clash of Clans Arctic Open 2026 powered by Yonex will take place from October 6 to 11 at Vantaan Energia Areena, with a total prize fund of US$500,000. The tournament is part of the BWF World Tour Super 500 series.
The official tournament website confirmed the publication of the draw on September 30, with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles all featuring 32-position main draws.
There is plenty to watch before the main draw even begins. Former Arctic Open champion Lee Zii Jia must come through men’s singles qualifying, while world-class names including Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Chou Tien-chen, Anders Antonsen, Ratchanok Intanon, P.V. Sindhu, Han Yue, Feng Yanzhe/Huang Dongping and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin feature prominently in the main draws.
Men’s Singles: Vitidsarn Leads the Draw
Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn is the No. 1 seed and has been placed at the top of the men’s singles draw. He will begin against the winner of the Q1 qualifying section.
The same quarter contains China’s Weng Hongyang, seventh seed Toma Junior Popov, Denmark’s Rasmus Gemke, Finland wild card Joakim Oldorff and Japan’s Yushi Tanaka. If the seeds progress, Vitidsarn and Toma Junior Popov are positioned to meet in the quarterfinals.
Defending champion Chou Tien-chen, seeded third, starts against France’s Arnaud Merkle. Japan’s Yudai Okimoto meets China’s Lu Guangzu in the same section, while eighth seed Koki Watanabe faces Wang Tzu-wei.
One of the other interesting matches in that quarter is Kidambi Srikanth against Brian Yang.
The lower half could provide one of the matches of the opening round. India’s H.S. Prannoy has been drawn against fourth seed Anders Antonsen. Before that, Nhat Nguyen takes on Singapore’s Teh Jia Heng.
Sixth seed Li Shifeng is also in Antonsen’s quarter and begins his campaign against Chi Yu-jen.
At the bottom of the draw, fifth seed Lin Chun-yi opens against Su Li-yang, while second seed Christo Popov takes on Hong Kong’s Jason Gunawan.
Lee Zii Jia Faces Qualifying Test
Perhaps the biggest name outside the main draw is Lee Zii Jia.
The Malaysian has been paired with Japan’s Minoru Koga in the Q2 qualifying match. The winner will claim the Q2 position in the main draw, where China’s Dong Tianyao is waiting in the first round.
It is an unusual route for a player who won the Arctic Open in 2023, adding extra interest to Tuesday’s qualifying session.
The other men’s singles qualification matches are Zhu Xuanchen vs Harry Huang, Rounak Chouhan vs Daniil Dubovenko, and Tharun Mannepalli vs Julien Carraggi.
Women’s Singles: Intanon and Miyazaki Head the Field
Former world champion Ratchanok Intanon is the No. 1 seed in women’s singles and begins against India’s Isharani Baruah.
Another all-Asian first-round match in that section sees India’s Tanvi Sharma face Chinese Taipei’s Chiu Pin-chian.
Sixth seed P.V. Sindhu will face the Q2 qualifier, while Lin Hsiang-ti meets Japan’s Riko Gunji.
Fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong starts against the Q1 qualifier. Denmark’s seventh seed Line Christophersen has been drawn against Ashmita Chaliha, while Line Kjaersfeldt will play the Q4 qualifier.
The third quarter includes several intriguing contests. Nguyen Thuy Linh faces Yeo Jia Min, while eighth seed Mia Blichfeldt plays Finnish wild card Petra Saarnivaara.
The standout match in this section, however, is Supanida Katethong against third seed Han Yue.
At the bottom of the bracket, former world champion Nozomi Okuhara, seeded fifth, takes on Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova.
Second seed Tomoka Miyazaki has an all-Japanese opening match against Natsuki Nidaira, with Unnati Hooda and Han Qianxi also placed in their section.
Defending champion Akane Yamaguchi is not included in the 2026 draw. Yamaguchi won the women’s singles title in Vantaa last year, while Chou Tien-chen, Ben Lane/Sean Vendy, Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin won the other four titles.
Men’s Doubles: Lane and Vendy Begin Title Defence
Defending champions Ben Lane and Sean Vendy return as the top seeds in men’s doubles.
The English pair start against Denmark’s Christian Faust Kjær and Rasmus Kjær. Also in the top quarter are French brothers Christo Popov and Toma Junior Popov, who enter against the Q2 qualifier.
That means Lane/Vendy and the Popov brothers could meet as early as the second round if both combinations win their opening matches.
China’s He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu are seeded fifth, while third seeds Daniel Lundgaard/Mads Vestergaard occupy the second quarter.
The lower half includes Denmark’s sixth-seeded Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, fourth seeds Chiu Hsiang-chieh/Wang Chi-lin, and China’s eighth seeds Hu Keyuan/Lin Xiangyi.
At the bottom of the bracket, second seeds Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi begin against Germany’s Bjarne Geiss/Jones Ralfy Jansen.
Women’s Doubles: Iwanaga and Nakanishi Take Top Seed
Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi, runners-up at the 2025 Arctic Open, return as the No. 1 seeds.
They start against China’s Li Yijing/Wang Yiduo. Seventh seeds Sayaka Hirota/Ayako Sakuramoto are also in the top quarter.
Fourth seeds Rui Hirokami/Sayaka Hobara occupy the second quarter, while fifth seeds Bao Lijing/Cao Zihan and third seeds Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva headline the third section.
The bottom quarter is led by second seeds Hsu Yin-hui/Lin Jhih-yun, with Japanese sixth seeds Sumire Nakade/Miyu Takahashi also in that part of the draw.
Reigning champions Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan do not appear in this year’s draw, so Vantaa will crown a different women’s doubles champion in 2026. The Malaysian pair defeated Iwanaga/Nakanishi in last year’s final.
Mixed Doubles: Feng/Huang Top Seeds, Jiang/Wei Defend Title
Mixed doubles is another particularly strong draw.
China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping are the top seeds and open against Denmark’s Jesper Toft/Amalie Cecilie Kudsk.
A fascinating match immediately below them pits Hoo Pang Ron/Lai Pei Jing against Chen Tang Jie/Chan Wen Tse, while eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat/Lai Shevon Jemie face England’s Samuel Jones/Lizzie Tolman.
Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul/Sapsiree Taerattanachai are also in the top quarter.
Defending champions Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin are seeded third and begin against the Q2 qualifier.
They won the 2025 title by defeating Feng/Huang in the final, making another meeting between the two Chinese pairs one of the major possibilities in this year’s tournament.
The bottom half features fifth seeds Guo Xinwa/Chen Fanghui, fourth seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Supissara Paewsampran, seventh seeds Cheng Xing/Zhang Chi, and Denmark’s second-seeded Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje.
Arctic Open 2026 Draw at a Glance
The five No. 1 seeds are:
- Men’s Singles: Kunlavut Vitidsarn
- Women’s Singles: Ratchanok Intanon
- Men’s Doubles: Ben Lane / Sean Vendy
- Women’s Doubles: Rin Iwanaga / Kie Nakanishi
- Mixed Doubles: Feng Yanzhe / Huang Dongping
Among the defending champions, Chou Tien-chen, Ben Lane/Sean Vendy and Jiang Zhenbang/Wei Yaxin are back in the draw, while women’s singles champion Akane Yamaguchi and women’s doubles champions Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan are absent.
The tournament runs for six days from October 6–11, starting with qualification and opening-round action before the quarterfinals on Friday, semifinals on Saturday and all five finals on Sunday. The 2026 edition carries US$500,000 in total prize money.
With Lee Zii Jia facing an early qualifying hurdle, several high-profile first-round clashes and three defending champions returning to Vantaa, the Arctic Open draw has created plenty of storylines before the first shuttle is struck.
