Source:REUTERS/Manon Cruz
[Saba Sports News] The 2026 Thomas Cup will be held in Horsens, Denmark from April 24 to May 3, 2026. According to the information, the Thomas Cup is the highest-level men’s team badminton tournament in the world. It was founded in 1948 by the former International Badminton Federation (now the Badminton World Federation) and named after its donor, former IBF president and British badminton great Sir George Thomas. The International Badminton Federation was established in 1934, and George Thomas was elected its first president. In 1939 Thomas proposed organizing a world men’s team competition and donated the trophy, which he named the “Thomas Cup.” The trophy is 28 cm tall, made of platinum, originally valued at £50,000, and its base is engraved with “Donated by Sir George Thomas in 1939.” Because of the outbreak of World War II, the tournament originally scheduled for around 1941 was forced to be postponed. The first Thomas Cup was held in Preston, England in 1948 with 10 teams participating; Malaya (now Malaysia) won the title. From 1982 the event switched to being held every two years and the format was simplified to best-of-five matches (first to three wins): three singles and two doubles, with the ties completed in a single day. Although the tournament was initiated by the British, Britain has never won it.
The editor believes the Thomas Cup broke the monopoly of Western countries in the sport. In the early years the competition was dominated by Malaya and Indonesia; after 1982 China rose and champions have been held by Asian teams for a long period, reflecting badminton’s shift in center of gravity toward Asia.