China retain Thomas Cup with 3–1 win

In the final of the 2026 Thomas Cup, China defeated France 3–1 to successfully defend the title, securing the Chinese badminton team’s 12th Thomas Cup crown.

In the opening men’s singles, Shi Yuqi played for China against Christo Popov. The two battled over three games. Shi took the first 21–16, Popov responded with a 21–16 win in the second, and Shi sealed the decider 21–17, giving China a 1–0 lead.

The second match was also men’s singles, with Li Shifeng facing Alex Lanier. Lanier won in straight games, 21–13 and 21–19, to level the tie at 1–1 for France.

The third match was again men’s singles, as Weng Hongyang took on Toma Junior Popov. In the key encounter, Weng withstood the pressure and proved sharper on crucial points. After three hard-fought games, Weng prevailed 22–20, 20–22, 21–19 to put China back in front at 2–1.

The fourth match was men’s doubles, with He Jiting/Ren Xiangyu representing China against Eloi Adam/Leo Rossi. The Chinese pair won in straight games, 21–13 and 21–16, as China wrapped up a 3–1 victory over France to retain the Thomas Cup.

In the Uber Cup final, China lost 1–3 to Korea, missing out on what would have been the team’s 17th Uber Cup title.

The opening women’s singles was a marquee clash, with China fielding Wang Zhiyi and Korea selecting An Se Young. Wang was beaten 10–21, 13–21.

The second match, women’s doubles, saw China send out Liu Shengshu/Tan Ning, while Korea made a lineup adjustment and chose Jeong Na Eun/Lee So Hee. As the current world No. 1 pair in women’s doubles, Liu/Tan showed a clear edge and won in straight games, bringing China level at 1–1 overall.

In the third match, women’s singles, world No. 4 Chen Yufei faced world No. 17 Kim Ga Eun. Chen surrendered the first game after leading 15–8 and ultimately lost 0–2, 19–21 and 15–21, leaving China trailing 1–2.

The fourth match, women’s doubles, featured Jia Yifan/Zhang Shuxian against Baek Ha Na/Kim Hye Jeong. The contest was tightly fought throughout. After taking the first game, Jia/Zhang were overturned, with the scores 21–16, 10–21, 13–21.

After four matches, China were defeated 1–3 overall and finished runners-up. China failed to claim a 17th Uber Cup title, while Korea captured the third Uber Cup crown in the team’s history.