By Jin Lu

Ningbo will host the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships from April 7 to 12, bringing many of Asia's highest-ranked players to the eastern Chinese port city for one of the sport's premier tournaments.

A Super 1000-level event, the championships are the only top-tier badminton tournament scheduled in China for the first half of 2026. With Asian players dominating the global rankings, the event is expected to carry significant weight for world standings ahead of major international competitions.

China will field a strong lineup, led by men's singles players Shi Yuqi and Li Shifeng, along with women's singles stars Chen Yufei and Wang Zhiyi. In men's doubles, Wang Chang, a Ningbo native, and Liang Weikeng will compete on home soil, with both players serving as event ambassadors. Other leading Chinese doubles and mixed doubles teams are also set to participate.

International challengers will likely include Thailand's world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Indonesia's Jonatan Christie, South Korea's Olympic champion An Se-young, alongside leading doubles pairs from South Korea and Malaysia.

Organizers said the event will also incorporate enhanced arena visuals, interactive digital features for spectators and a trophy incorporating Ningbo's traditional inlay craftsmanship. A fan festival and more than 35 officially licensed merchandise items will also be rolled out alongside the tournament.

Matches will run from qualification rounds on April 7 through the finals on April 12, with tickets priced between 80 and 1,980 ($11 to $288) available via major Chinese ticketing platforms, including Damai.