TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - China reaffirmed its dominance on the world stage in men's badminton after defending its 2026 Thomas Cup title. In the final held at the Horsens Forum on Monday morning, May 4, 2026, they defeated France 3-1 in a tight and pressure-filled match.
At the same time, South Korea emerged as the 2026 Uber Cup champion after defeating China 3-1 in the women's final. This maintained Asia's dominance in these two most prestigious team events.
However, China's victory in the men's event was not easy. Facing France, a dark horse throughout the tournament, the top seeded team was forced to fight to their full potential.
The opening match immediately featured a fierce duel between Shi Yu Qi and Christo Popov. The world number one player had to go through a rubber game before securing a 21-16, 16-21, 21-17 victory in a match that lasted almost an hour and a half. Shi dominated the first game, but Popov rallied in the second with aggressive net play. In the deciding game, Shi's composure in crucial points proved the difference.
France responded in the second game through Alex Lanier, who put in an impressive performance, defeating Li Shi Feng in straight games. This victory marked Lanier's first over Li and kept the "Land of Fashion" team's hopes alive.
However, the momentum was short-lived. In the third game, Weng Hong Yang restored China's lead by defeating Toma Popov in a marathon 22-20, 20-22, 21-19 duel that lasted 96 minutes. Toma briefly opened the scoring at 18-18 in the third game, but Weng was able to withstand the pressure in the final stages.
The title was decided in the second men's doubles match. He Ji Ting/Ren Xiang Yu put in a solid performance to defeat Eloi Adam/Leo Rossi 21-13, 21-16, securing a 3-1 victory for China.
Despite falling short of the title, France nearly pulled off a major upset. After the match, Toma Popov said his team's achievement felt "like gold," despite only taking home a silver medal. "What we achieved this week was truly extraordinary. We put up a great fight again," he said.
For China, this title marks their 12th in the Thomas Cup, closing the gap on Indonesia, which still holds the record for most trophies with 14. This success also provides some consolation after their women's team lost to South Korea in the Uber Cup final.
Read: Indonesia's Early Exit at 2026 Thomas Cup: What Went Wrong
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