Uber Cup
International women's badminton competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Women's Team Championships, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956–1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were merged with those of Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship. In 2007, the Badminton World Federation decided to have Thomas and Uber Cup finals separated again but the proposal was ultimately abandoned.[1] The Uber Cup is named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women's event similar to the men's.[2] She also made the draw for the 1956–1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.[3]
Current season, competition or edition: 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup | |
| |
| Sport | Badminton |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Countries | BWF member nations |
| Most recent champion |  South Korea (3rd title) |
| Most titles |  China (16 titles) |
| Official website | Official website |
The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. As of the 2024 tournament, China is the most successful team, having won 16 titles. Japan is second, having won it six times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.
Trophy
The Uber Cup trophy was officially presented at the annual general meeting in 1956, the year the first Uber Cup tournament was first held.[3] It was made by Mappin & Webb, prominent silversmiths on Regent Street in London. The trophy is 20 inches high with a rotating globe on top of a plinth and a female player standing on top of a shuttlecock.[2]
Results
1957–1981
| Year[4] | Host | Final | Semi-finalists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | ||||||
| 1957 Details |
Lancashire, England |  United States |
6–1 |  Denmark |
 India |
|||
| 1960 Details |
Philadelphia, United States |  United States |
5–2 | Denmark |
 New Zealand |
|||
| 1963 Details |
Wilmington, United States | United States |
4–3 |  England |
 Indonesia |
|||
| 1966 Details |
Wellington, New Zealand |  Japan |
5–2 | United States |
England |
|||
| 1969 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | Japan |
6–1 | Indonesia |
England |
|||
| 1972 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | Japan |
6–1 | Indonesia |
Denmark |
New Zealand | ||
| 1975 Details |
Jakarta, Indonesia | Indonesia |
5–2 | Japan |
 Canada |
England | ||
| 1978 Details |
Auckland, New Zealand | Japan |
5–2 | Indonesia |
Denmark |
United States | ||
| 1981 Details |
Tokyo, Japan | Japan |
6–3 | Indonesia |
Canada |
England | ||
1984–1988
| Year | Host | Final | Third place tie | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 1984 Details |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | China |
5–0 | England |
 South Korea |
5–0 | Denmark | ||
| 1986 Details |
Jakarta, Indonesia | China |
3–2 | Indonesia |
South Korea |
3–2 | Japan | ||
| 1988 Details |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | China |
5–0 | South Korea |
Indonesia |
5–0 | Japan | ||
1990–present
Successful national teams
So far, only five countries have won the Uber Cup with China the most successful team, with 16 titles, followed by Japan (six titles), Indonesia (three titles), the United States (three titles) and Korea (two titles). The Uber Cup has only spread to two continents so far: Asia and North America.
Nine teams have made it into the finals. The finalists other than the five winner countries above are Denmark, England, the Netherlands and Thailand. Sweden, Hong Kong, Germany, Chinese Taipei and India are the other fives teams which have made it into the final four.
| Teams | Titles | Runners-up | Semi-finalists | Third place | Fourth place | Top 4 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China |
16 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2024) | 5 (1994, 1996, 2010, 2022, 2026) | 1 (2018) | N/a | N/a | 22 |
 Japan |
6 (1966, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 2018) | 3 (1975, 2014, 2020) | 8 (1990, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2022, 2024, 2026) | N/a | 2 (1986, 1988) | 19 |
| Indonesia |
3 (1975, 1994, 1996) | 8 (1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1998, 2008, 2024) | 5 (1990, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2026) | 1 (1988) | N/a | 17 |
| South Korea |
3 (2010, 2022, 2026) | 7 (1988, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016) | 9 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2024) | 2 (1984, 1986) | N/a | 21 |
| United States |
3 (1957, 1960, 1963) | 1 (1966) | N/a | N/a | N/a | 4 |
 Denmark |
N/a | 3 (1957, 1960, 2000) | 3 (1996, 1998, 2004) | N/a | 1 (1984) | 7 |
| England |
N/a | 2 (1963, 1984) | N/a | N/a | N/a | 2 |
 Thailand |
N/a | 1 (2018) | 3 (2012, 2020, 2022) | N/a | N/a | 4 |
 Netherlands |
N/a | 1 (2006) | 1 (2002) | N/a | N/a | 2 |
 Sweden |
N/a | N/a | 2 (1992, 1994) | N/a | N/a | 2 |
 Germany |
N/a | N/a | 2 (2006, 2008) | N/a | N/a | 2 |
| India |
N/a | N/a | 2 (2014, 2016) | N/a | N/a | 2 |
 Hong Kong |
N/a | N/a | 1 (2002) | N/a | N/a | 1 |
 Chinese Taipei |
N/a | N/a | 1 (2006) | N/a | N/a | 1 |
Bold text denotes team was host country.
Team appearances at the final stages
As of 2026[update], 32 teams have qualified in the history of the competition for the final stages of the Uber Cup. Europe are the continent with the most teams, at twelve. Asia had ten teams. Africa had four teams that qualified, followed by Oceania and Pan America with three teams each.
Below is the list of teams that have appeared in the final stage of Uber Cup as of the 2026 tournament.
| Teams | Region | Appearances | Debut | Best Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | Asia | 28 | 1963 | Champions |
| Japan | Asia | 28 | 1966 | Champions |
| Denmark | Europe | 24 | 1957 | Runners-up |
| China | Asia | 22 | 1984 | Champions |
| South Korea | Asia | 22 | 1984 | Champions |
 Malaysia | Asia | 16 | 1975 | Quarter-finals |
| Canada | Americas | 15 | 1960 | Semi-finals |
| England | Europe | 14 | 1963 | Runners-up |
| United States | Americas | 13 | 1957 | Champions |
 Australia | Oceania | 11 | 1975 | Group stage |
| Germany | Europe | 11 | 2002 | Semi-finals |
| India | Asia | 10 | 1957 | Semi-finals |
| Thailand | Asia | 10 | 1969 | Runners-up |
| Netherlands | Europe | 10 | 1988 | Runners-up |
| Chinese Taipei | Asia | 10 | 2004 | Semi-finals |
| Hong Kong | Asia | 9 | 1996 | Semi-finals |
| New Zealand | Oceania | 6 | 1960 | Semi-finals |
 South Africa | Africa | 6 | 2004 | Group stage |
| Sweden | Europe | 5 | 1992 | Semi-finals |
 Russia | Europe | 5 | 2010 | Quarter-finals |
 Spain | Europe | 4 | 2016 | Group stage |
 Singapore | Asia | 3 | 2006 | Quarter-finals |
 France | Europe | 3 | 2018 | Group stage |
 Mauritius | Africa | 2 | 2016 | Group stage |
 Bulgaria | Europe | 2 | 2016 | Group stage |
 Egypt | Africa | 2 | 2020 | Group stage |
 Scotland | Europe | 1 | 2020 | Group stage |
 Tahiti | Oceania | 1 | 2020 | Group stage |
 Mexico | Americas | 1 | 2024 | Group stage |
 Uganda | Africa | 1 | 2024 | Group stage |
 Turkey | Europe | 1 | 2026 | Group stage |
 Ukraine | Europe | 1 | 2026 | Group stage |