The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has confirmed major changes to its competition structure, with its premier team events set to expand in both size and duration.
The Thomas Cup, Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup will all increase from 16 to 24 teams starting next year. The Sudirman Cup will be the first to adopt the new format in 2027, followed by the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in 2028.
Indonesia has been named as the host nation for all three tournaments.
With the expanded field, each team event will now run for 12 days instead of the current 10-day schedule.
BWF has also announced that Super 1000 tournaments will be extended to 11 days. Five events will be staged under this new format — the Malaysia Open, All England, Indonesia Open, China Open and Denmark Open.
In addition, next year’s World Championships will be lengthened to 12 days, with a group-stage phase introduced ahead of the knockout rounds. The move is aimed at reducing early eliminations and giving players more matches at the sport’s biggest individual event.
Former international Datuk Razif Sidek welcomed the changes, describing them as a positive step for player welfare and tactical preparation.
“Extending the team tournaments is a good move as it gives players more time to recover physically and mentally,” said Razif.
“It will also allow coaches additional time to plan strategies, especially with more teams and matches involved.”
This year’s Thomas Cup and Uber Cup will still be played under the existing 16-team format, taking place in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3.
