After an extraordinary year 2025, ended in style with the coronation of Christo Popov, badminton is launching its 2026 season. On the program: Petronas Malaysia Open badminton which takes place from January 6 to 11, 2026 at theAxiata Arena de Kuala Lumpur. This tournament Super 1000 endowed with 1 450 000 dollars marks the start of the calendar BWF World Tour. France has five qualified representatives: Alex Lanier, Christo Popov et Toma Junior Popov in men’s singles, the Popov brothers in men’s doubles and Thom Gicquel / Delphine Delrue in mixed doubles. Find the complete Malaysia Open 2026 badminton program.
The French entered at the Malaysia Open 2026
Alex Lanier (7e mondial, 7th seed), Christo Popov (8th worldwide, 6th seed) et Toma Junior Popov (15th in the world) represent France in men’s singles. The three French people are in the top 15 in the world and have top seed status for Lanier and Christo Popov.
THE Popov brothers are also engaged in men’s doubles. They won the France Open 2025their first Super 1000 doubles title. In mixed doubles, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (5th in the world) will face the Danish pair Jesper Toft / Amalie Magelund in the first round.
Tournament schedule
The tournament takes place over six days from January 6 to 11. All times are in Malaysian local time (UTC+8), either 7 hours difference with France.
Tuesday January 6: 1st round (upper half) – Start 9h00 locale (2h00 in France)
Wednesday January 7: 1st round (lower half) – Start 9h00 locale (2h00 in France)
Thursday January 8: Round of 16 – Start 9h00 locale (2h00 in France)
Friday January 9: Fourths of end – Sessions 9h00 (2h00 in France) et 15h00 (8:00 a.m. in France)
Saturday January 10: Semi-finals – Start 10:00 a.m locale (3h00 in France)
Sunday January 11: Finals – Start 12h00 locale (5:00 a.m. in France)
The detailed match-by-match program will be published on bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com.
Where to watch the Malaysia Open 2026 in France?
The official BWF TV YouTube channel diffuse for free the entire tournament live on youtube.com/@bwfworldtour with comments in English. All courts are accessible without a subscription.
The site bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com also offers free streaming of all matches. Full replays are available after each match. No subscription is necessary to follow the performances of the French.
Practical information
The Petronas Malaysia Open 2026 is there 69th edition of this historic tournament created in 1937. This is the first event Super 1000 of the season, the second highest level on the world circuit after the World Tour Finals.
The reigning champions are Shi Yuqi (China) in men’s singles and An Se-young (South Korea) in women’s singles. The total prize money is 1 450 000 USDwith 101 500 USD for the winner in singles and 107 300 USD in duplicate.
FAQ
When is the Petronas Malaysia Open 2026?
The Petronas Malaysia Open 2026 takes place from January 6 to 11, 2026 at theAxiata Arena de Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The first rounds begin on Tuesday, January 6 at 9:00 a.m. local time (2:00 a.m. in France), the finals are scheduled for Sunday January 11 from 12:00 p.m. (5:00 a.m. in Paris). The tournament lasts six days.
Who are the French people qualified for the Malaysia Open 2026?
Five French players are involved: Alex Lanier (7th in the world, 7th seed), Christo Popov (8th in the world, 6th seed) and Toma Junior Popov (15th in the world) in men’s singles. THE Popov brothers also participate in men’s doubles. Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue (5th in the world) compete in mixed doubles.
On which channel to watch the Malaysia Open 2026 in France?
The official BWF TV YouTube channel streams the entire tournament live for free on youtube.com/@bwfworldtour with comments in English. The site bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.com also offers free streaming of all matches. No subscription is required to follow the matches.
What is the prize money for the Malaysia Open 2026?
The total prize money is 1 450 000 dollars. The singles champion will pocket 101 500 USD et 12 000 points in the BWF world rankings. The finalist will receive 49 300 USD et 10 200 points. The semi-finalists will receive 20 300 USD et 8 400 points each. In doubles, the amount rises to 107 300 USD for the winners.
Who are the reigning Malaysia Open champions?
The reigning champions are Shi Yuqi (China) in men’s singles and An Se-young (South Korea) in women’s singles. In men’s doubles, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae (South Korea) defend their title. In women’s doubles, Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto (Japan) are the holders. In mixed doubles, Dechapol Puavaranukroh et Supissara Paewsampran (Thailand) are champions.
