Basic information:
When: 2-6 March 2026
Venue: Utilita Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, UK (since 1994)
Category: BWF World Tour Super 1000 event
Prize Money: $1,450,000 (2026)
Where to watch live:
More information is available here
Reigning Champions:
Men's Singles: Shi Yuqi (CHN)
Women's Singles: An Se-young (KOR)
Men's Doubles: Seo Seung-jae/Kim Won-ho (KOR)
Women's Doubles: Chiharu Shida/Nami Matsuyama (JPN)
Mixed Doubles: Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui (CHN)
Main draw:
Usually 32 players/pairs in both singles and doubles.
Key Players and Top Seeds :
Men’s Singles: Defending champion Shi Yu Qi (China), along with top contenders Anders Antonsen (Denmark), Jonatan Christie (Indonesia), Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand), Li Shifeng (China), Chou Tien-chen (Chinese Taipei), Alex Lanier, and India's Lakshya Sen.
Women’s Singles: Top star and 2025 winner An Se-young (Korea) is competing for her third title, aiming to continue her high win rate in 2026.
Men’s Doubles: Defending champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae (Korea) are in the draw, facing British pair Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in the first round. Other top pairs include Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia), Liang Wei keng-Wang Chang (China), and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (India).
Women’s Doubles: Top contenders include Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida (Japan) and Pearly Tan-Thinaah Muralitharan (Malaysia).
Mixed Doubles: Defending champions Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui (China) are expected to compete. Other pairs include Callum Hemming and Estelle Van Leeuwen (England).
History and Significance
Venue History: Originally played in London, the tournament moved to Wembley Arena in 1954, where it stayed for four decades before moving to Birmingham.
Most Titles (Overall): Sir George Thomas (21 titles: 9 doubles, 8 mixed, 4 singles).
Most Men’s Singles Titles: Rudy Hartono (Indonesia) – 8 titles.
Most Women’s Singles Titles: Judy Devlin (USA/England) – 10 titles.
Modern Era Icon: China's Lin Dan won the men's singles title six times.
Asian Dominance: Since the 1970s and 1980s, Asian nations—particularly China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Malaysia—have dominated the tournament.
Danish Success: Denmark is the most successful European nation, boasting 87 titles.