BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023: Preview, schedule, how to watch live

The world's best badminton players are back in action in Suzhou, People's Republic of China, from 14–21 May, this time with the world mixed team championships – the BWF Sudirman Cup – on the line.

Suzhou was originally due to host the last Sudirman Cup in 2021, and is finally hosting the tournament after a two-year delay (Vantaa, Finland, stepped in to host in 2021). The host team China are the defending champions, and one of only three teams to have won the Sudirman Cup since its inception in 1989.

This year marks the 18th running of the Sudirman Cup, which has previously also been won by Indonesia and the Republic of Korea. For the second time, the four-group, 16-team format will be in use.

Read on to find out who to watch for and the tournament schedule and draw.

Teams and players to watch at 2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals

In Group A, hosts China are the runaway favourites, having won 12 of the 17 previous editions of the tournament and reached every final since 1995. Their team includes the likes of Shi Yuqi, Olympic champion Chen Yufei, Zheng Siwei / Huang Yaqiong, and Chen Qingchen / Jia Yifan – and they will rightly expect to make a deep run in the tournament.

African champions Egypt are unlikely to cause a stir in the group, leaving Denmark – with world and Olympic champ Viktor Axelsen in their ranks – and Singapore, led by Axelsen's predecessor as world champion Loh Kean Yew, to duke it out for the second quarter-final spot.

There is a comeback on the cards in Group B for Indonesia's Marcus Gideon / Kevin Sukamuljo, the 'Minions' who have spent the first half of the year out of action due to injury (to Gideon) and illness (to Sukamuljo). They join the likes of new Asian champion Anthony Ginting, Jonatan Christie, and Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in a strong squad.

The other seeded team in the group is Thailand, whose key players mostly skipped the Southeast Asian Games tournament to focus on the Sudirman Cup. That means the likes of Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Ratchanok Intanon are well rested for the challenge in Suzhou.

Group C appears to be the "Group of Death" in Suzhou, with Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, and India all part of a group which also includes Australia.

India will be fancying their chances, with half their squad having lifted the men's team world title – the Thomas Cup – last year. Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty are among the men's names who will join forces with the likes of PV Sindhu to mount the Indian challenge.

They will run into a Lee Zii Jia-led Malaysia, with their usual firepower in the doubles events as well. However, there is a potential weakness in their women's singles lineup, with their top-ranked player being world number 30 Goh Jin Wei.

And Chinese Taipei have their usual reliable singles stars Chou Tien-chen and Tai Tzu-ying to put points on the board where required.

The top seed in Group D is Japan, who have surprisingly excluded the former world number 1 Momota Kento from the team. Momota has struggled for form and consistency over the last three years and instead, world number 5 Naraoka Kodai will lead the Japanese men. Women's world number 1 Yamaguchi Akane will also be at the forefront of Japan's challenge.

Japan's old rivals Republic of Korea, four-time winners of the Sudirman Cup (most recently in 2017), are led by women's singles world number 2 An Seyoung. They find themselves in a tricky group which includes European heavyweights France and England.

What may set the European teams back, however, is that many of their players will double up in singles and doubles, unlike the other teams which have sent specialised singles players and doubles pairings.

2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals – schedule

The competition at the badminton world mixed team championships, the Sudirman Cup Finals, will take place over eight days in Suzhou.

There will be two sessions a day for the group matches from 14–18 May, at 10am and 5pm local time (UTC +8 hours).

The quarter-finals will follow on 19 May, with the semi-finals on 20 May, and the Sudirman Cup Final on 21 May. Exact session times for these days are to be confirmed.

• Sunday 14 May 2023
  10am: Group C – TPE v IND, Group D – KOR v FRA, Group C - MAS v AUS
  5pm: Group D – JPN v ENG, Group A – DEN v SGP, Group A – CHN v EGY
• Monday 15 May 2023
  10am: Group B – INA v CAN, Group B – THA v GER, Group C – TPE v AUS
  5pm: Group C – MAS v IND, Group D – JPN v FRA, Group D – KOR v ENG
• Tuesday 16 May 2023
  10am: Group B – INA v GER, THA v CAN
  5pm: Group A – CHN v SGP, DEN v EGY
• Wednesday 17 May 2023
  10am: Group C – MAS v TPE, IND v AUS
  5pm: Group D – JPN v KOR, FRA v ENG
• Thursday 18 May 2023
  10am: Group B – INA v THA, GER v CAN
  5pm: Group A – CHN v DEN, SGP v EGY

How to watch 2023 BWF Sudirman Cup Finals live

You can watch the BWF Sudirman Cup on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com (territorial restrictions may apply).

It will also be available on the BWF TV YouTube channel and on various domestic television broadcasters. Check local listings for details.