India has had a strong run in the 2026 Thomas Cup with the team reaching the semi-finals of the tournament only for the second time in history.
Their only defeat came in the final group stage tie against China. With a place in the semi-finals secured, India now have an assured medal and will look to go further in the competition.
This performance continues India’s long evolving journey in the tournament, which has seen both early success and periods of struggle.
India’s history at Thomas Cup
The Thomas Cup is the world men’s team badminton championship. It was first held in the 1948-49 season. It was initially held every three years, but has been conducted biannually since 1982.
India made its debut in 1952 and made an immediate impact by reaching the top-3. They lost narrowly to the USA in the second round to finish third in the competition.
India repeated a similar performance in 1955, once again reaching the top-4 before losing to Denmark 3-6.
The Thomas Cup had a different format from 1949 to 1982. There were no semi-finals at that time, hence only the finalists earned medals.
After the early success in 1950s, India faced a long gap in terms of progress. For many years, only the winner of the Asian Zone could move forward, and India struggled against strong teams like Malaya (now Malaysia) and Indonesia.
As a result, the team went through a period of more than 18 years without making a significant mark in the tournament.
India returned with a strong performance in 1979, which remains one of their best campaigns in Thomas Cup history. Led by Prakash Padukone, the team reached once again reached top 4 only to crash out after losing to Denmark.
In the years that followed, India struggled to qualify regularly and could not maintain consistency.
India showed signs of improvement in later years, reaching the quarter-finals in 2006, 2010, and 2020 (held in 2021).
Their biggest breakthrough, however, came in 2022, when they created history by winning their first-ever Thomas Cup title. They defeated Indonesia in the final.
The 2024 edition saw India exit in the quarter-finals, losing to hosts China.
Despite the setbacks, India’s overall performance has improved in recent years, with the team consistently reaching the knockout stages.
