Badminton team draws: India could meet Japan in quarters and Korea in semis at Asian Games 2026
India’s men’s and women’s badminton teams learned their Asian Games 2026 team-event opponents after the draw was held on Saturday (September 19), with the women scheduled to start against Kazakhstan on September 20 and the men against Bangladesh on September 21.
The competition will be contested in a straight knockout format, and the draw places Japan as a potential quarter-final opponent for both Indian teams; Japan are seeded second in the women’s draw and third in the men’s team event. India’s women will begin in the Round of 16 against Kazakhstan, while the men open their campaign in the Round of 16 versus Bangladesh.
In the women’s half where India is placed, Japan receive a bye into the last eight and would meet the India–Kazakhstan winner in the quarter-finals if India advances. The opposite quarter in India’s half features third/fourth seeds Korea, who are drawn to face the winner of the Hong Kong–Malaysia match; should India reach the semi-finals, they could play Korea, Hong Kong or Malaysia.
The remaining side of the women’s draw includes top seeds China, Thailand, third/fourth seeds Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Mongolia. India’s women reached the quarter-finals at the previous Asian Games, where they lost 0-3 to Thailand, and the current draw gives them a pathway that could lead to a match against China in the final half of the bracket.
On the men’s side, a victory over Bangladesh would set India up against the winner of the Japan–Kazakhstan tie in the quarter-finals, with Japan seeded third/fourth in that section. The other Round of 16 match in India’s half pairs Korea with Hong Kong, the winner of which will face second-seed China in the last eight; that quarter-final winner could then meet India in the semi-finals.
Top seeds Indonesia occupy the opposite half of the men’s draw, joined there by Malaysia, Mongolia, third/fourth seeds Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Macau China. At the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, India’s men’s team won the silver medal, and the Indian badminton contingent collected one gold, one silver and one bronze overall.
India’s women open their team event against Kazakhstan on September 20, and the men begin against Bangladesh on September 21; if both teams progress, Japan stands as the projected quarter-final opponent for each side.
