A New Golden Age for Badminton Sport

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Infront have jointly announced a landmark, sport-transforming overhaul. This initiative will launch the most impactful new era in badminton’s history. A full set of strategic upgrades will reshape global tournament structures, boost commercial value, raise broadcast production standards, and reinvent experiences for elite athletes and global fans alike. This major upgrade builds on the strengthened long-term partnership between BWF and Infront, its exclusive broadcast and commercial partner. Both parties extended the cooperation through 2034 last year.

Starting in 2027, BWF will drastically expand its televised match coverage across all sanctioned tournaments. The annual number of officially produced broadcast fixtures will rise from 1,410 to approximately 3,000. This massive increase in premium sports content will deliver unmatched media exposure across global markets. It also builds a powerful international stage to showcase top-tier badminton and professional star athletes worldwide.

The core of this industry-wide transformation is a fully restructured BWF World Tour. It adopts a clear six-tier system with 36 annual tournaments. Key updates include five elite Super 1000 events and a maximum annual prize pool of US$26.9 million. For the first time ever, the Super 100 series will officially join the World Tour calendar. This optimised hierarchical system offers a premium collaborative platform for tournament organisers, commercial partners, media teams, athletes and spectators. It drives innovation, strengthens global connectivity, and further elevates the worldwide reputation of the BWF World Tour.

The five flagship Super 1000 tournaments take place across top badminton hubs in Asia and Europe, with a newly upgraded extended format. Singles competitions will include 48 professional players, competing through group stages followed by knockout rounds. Doubles events will feature 32 pairs in a straight knockout structure. Each Super 1000 tournament will run for 11 days across two weekends, with all 1,095 matches broadcast globally. Alongside top-tier upgrades, televised coverage for Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 and the newly added Super 100 events will also expand significantly to enrich annual global badminton content.

This full-system upgrade enables BWF to build a year-round, high-standard competition ecosystem. It consistently delivers world-class badminton events and keeps elite athletic performance as the core of every sanctioned tournament.

BWF’s premier flagship tournaments will also undergo key structural expansions. The BWF World Championships will adopt a hybrid group and knockout format, guaranteeing every athlete at least two matches. This change avoids unfair early eliminations, improves competition fairness, and boosts fan engagement worldwide. From 2027 onward, the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup and Uber Cup will expand their team entry quotas. This brings broader international representation and more diverse competition dynamics. The three top biennial events will offer record televised matches over 12 days, evolving into two-week global badminton festivals that highlight the sport’s highest level and strengthen BWF’s global brand influence.

Extended two-week tournament schedules across multiple tiers reflect BWF’s athlete-first optimisation. Longer competition cycles allow more reasonable annual fixture planning and give athletes adequate recovery time between high-intensity matches. This adjustment aligns with BWF’s core mission. The federation aims to support athletic excellence, optimise competition conditions, and help professional players build stable, long-term careers.

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, BWF President, commented on the historic industry overhaul:

“We are reinventing badminton to appeal to the next generation of global sports audiences. We have reimagined every part of our ecosystem, including tournament formats, prize pools, broadcast strategies and commercial frameworks. All updates follow modern standards for a truly global 21st-century sport. This bold transformation is necessary to unlock badminton’s full growth potential and secure its long-term prosperity. It marks a key milestone in our partnership with Infront. United by the same vision, we aim to raise badminton’s global status and maximise its commercial and cultural value.

This project is far more than a simple tournament restructure. It builds a unique global sporting culture, creates a unified brand identity, and delivers inclusive growth opportunities for all stakeholders. Badminton’s future depends on continuous innovation, inclusivity and global expansion. Today’s entertainment market is highly competitive, so we must attract audiences with creative storytelling, advanced technology and immersive experiences. This upgrade will make badminton more engaging, intelligent and memorable for global viewers.”

Thomas Lund, BWF Secretary General, added further insight:

“Our core goal is to build a future-proof, sustainable competition system. This system drives steady global growth and expands badminton’s international reach. Working closely with Infront, BWF creates more competition opportunities for athletes. It also adds more excitement to tournaments and delivers richer viewing experiences for fans and broadcasters. This full upgrade confirms badminton’s position as a commercially attractive and globally competitive elite sport. It also reflects our athlete-first principle, which ensures fair rewards and supports consistent high-level performance among professional players.”

BWF’s support for athletes goes beyond higher prize money. The federation is upgrading on-site operations and off-court facilities, including athlete lounges and supporting amenities, to create premium competition environments. In partnership with Infront, BWF is enriching fan experiences through festival-style on-site activities, dynamic event presentation and a new dedicated OTT platform. These multi-dimensional upgrades help promote star athletes, strengthen fan connections across digital and offline channels, attract new audiences, and create more revenue and exposure opportunities for the sport.

Julien Ternisien, Senior Vice President of Summer Sports at Infront, stated:

“Our strategic cooperation with BWF expands tournament scale and improves broadcast content in both quantity and quality. It greatly enhances global viewing experiences and lays a solid foundation for badminton’s sustainable long-term development. This comprehensive reform boosts the sport’s commercial appeal. It provides better competition conditions and wider exposure for athletes, while offering broadcasters and partners a high-value, investable sports product. This forward-looking strategy will guide badminton into a brand-new era of global growth.”

BWF President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul further emphasised:

“Athletes are more than competitors; they are global sports icons. We keep investing in a high-quality ecosystem that helps athletes perform at their best, gain global recognition and connect deeply with fans worldwide. Improving athlete welfare and exposure lifts the entire sport’s standard. This is why athlete experience remains the core of our global development strategy.”

Echoing the vision, Thomas Lund concluded:

“This new era of badminton brings comprehensive experience upgrades for every stakeholder. For athletes, it means wider global exposure, higher prize funds and optimised tournament conditions. We prioritise athlete experience because athletes are the soul of badminton. For fans, it means easy access to live coverage, diverse tournament stories and immersive on-site atmospheres. We embrace innovations such as virtual sponsorships, AI technology and immersive viewing solutions. Our goal is to turn every tournament into a wonderful global celebration of badminton.”