Asian Games 2026: India’s projected route to the women’s badminton team final
India’s women’s badminton team will begin their Asian Games 2026 campaign against Kazakhstan in the Round of 16 in Aichi-Nagoya, with the women’s team event scheduled at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium from September 20 to 24. The tie opens India’s bid in a tournament where they have yet to reach a final.
India have won two bronze medals in the women’s team event, in 1982 and 2014, but have never reached the final. The squad is led by PV Sindhu and includes Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, Devika Sihag, Tanisha Crasto and Isharani Baruah. India bowed out in the quarter-finals at the last edition of the Asian Games. The draw presents a challenging route that could involve Japan, South Korea and China.
India will open their campaign against Kazakhstan in the Round of 16 (referred to elsewhere in coverage as the pre-quarter-finals). The Indian team will enter the tie with considerably more international experience and will look to take control from the opening match. PV Sindhu’s experience in major multi-sport events could be particularly valuable in a knockout tie. India will aim to avoid early complications and secure their place in the quarter-finals.
The projected quarter-final opponent is Japan, whose singles contingent is listed as Akane Yamaguchi, Nozomi Okuhara and Tomoka Miyazaki, with doubles combinations including Yuki Fukushima, Sayaka Hobara, Rin Iwanaga and Mayu Matsumoto. Yamaguchi is described as one of the most experienced players in women’s singles, Miyazaki as part of a newer generation, and Okuhara as bringing considerable experience from the biggest international tournaments. Japan’s depth across singles and doubles could make this a closely contested team tie. India will need contributions from multiple players rather than relying on one individual to progress.
A semi-final against South Korea is the projected next hurdle, with An Se-young leading the Korean singles entries alongside Kim Ga Eun and Sim Yu Jin and doubles options such as Baek Ha Na, Jeong Na Eun, Lee So Hee and Kong Hee Yong. An Se-young is identified as a major challenge in singles, while Korea’s doubles pairings are noted as potentially decisive in the outcome of a tie. India would therefore need a complete team performance to overcome Korea and reach the final.
China is named as the potential final opponent, with singles players Chen Yufei, Han Yue and Wang Zhiyi and doubles players Tan Ning, Liu Sheng Shu, Jia Yifan, Huang Dongping, Wei Yaxin and Zhang Shuxian. The depth of the Chinese squad is presented as making them a formidable opponent across all five matches, with India’s singles players facing a particularly difficult task and the doubles matches likely to be crucial. The source frames China as the biggest test India could face on the projected route.
The projected route through the knockout stages is Kazakhstan in the Round of 16, Japan in the quarter-final, South Korea in the semi-final and China in the final. It is described as a demanding path, and India will look to assemble a strong team performance to challenge for the women’s team gold in Aichi-Nagoya.