| Current season | 2026 Thomas & Uber Cup |
|---|---|
| Sport | Badminton |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Champion | (3rd title) |
| Most champs | (16 titles) |
| Countries | BWF member nations |
| Website | Official website |
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]
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 | ' | 6–1 | |||||
| 1960 Details | Philadelphia, United States | ' | 5–2 | |||||
| 1963 Details | Wilmington, United States | ' | 4–3 | |||||
| 1966 Details | Wellington, New Zealand | ' | 5–2 | |||||
| 1969 Details | Tokyo, Japan | ' | 6–1 | |||||
| 1972 Details | Tokyo, Japan | ' | 6–1 | |||||
| 1975 Details | Jakarta, Indonesia | ' | 5–2 | |||||
| 1978 Details | Auckland, New Zealand | ' | 5–2 | |||||
| 1981 Details | Tokyo, Japan | ' | 6–3 | |||||
1984–1988
| Year | Host | Final | Third place tie | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 1984 Details | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ' | 5–0 | 5–0 | |||||
| 1986 Details | Jakarta, Indonesia | ' | 3–2 | 3–2 | |||||
| 1988 Details | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ' | 5–0 | 5–0 | |||||
1990–present
| Year | Host | Final | Semi-finalists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | ||||||
| 1990 Details | Nagoya and Tokyo, Japan | ' | 3–2 | |||||
| 1992 Details | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ' | 3–2 | |||||
| 1994 Details | Jakarta, Indonesia | ' | 3–2 | |||||
| 1996 Details | Hong Kong | ' | 4–1 | |||||
| 1998 Details | Hong Kong SAR, China | ' | 4–1 | |||||
| 2000 Details | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2002 Details | Guangzhou, China | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2004 Details | Jakarta, Indonesia | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2006 Details | Sendai and Tokyo, Japan | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2008 Details | Jakarta, Indonesia | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2010 Details | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2012 Details | Wuhan, China | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2014 Details | New Delhi, India | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2016 Details | Kunshan, China | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2018 Details | Bangkok, Thailand | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2020 Details | Aarhus, Denmark | ' | 3–1 | |||||
| 2022 Details | Bangkok, Thailand | ' | 3–2 | |||||
| 2024 Details | Chengdu, China | ' | 3–0 | |||||
| 2026 Details | Horsens, Denmark | ' | 3–1 | |||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 22 | |||
| 6 (1966, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 2018) | 3 (1975, 2014, 2020) | 8 (1990, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2022, 2024, 2026) | 2 (1986, 1988) | 19 | ||
| 3 (1975, 1994, 1996) | 8 (1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1998, 2008, 2024) | 5 (1990, 1992, 2000, 2010, 2026) | 1 (1988) | 17 | ||
| 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) | 21 | ||
| 3 (1957, 1960, 1963) | 1 (1966) | 4 | ||||
| 3 (1957, 1960, 2000) | 3 (1996, 1998, 2004) | 1 (1984) | 7 | |||
| 2 (1963, 1984) | 2 | |||||
| 1 (2018) | 3 (2012, 2020, 2022) | 4 | ||||
| 1 (2006) | 1 (2002) | 2 | ||||
| 2 (1992, 1994) | 2 | |||||
| 2 (2006, 2008) | 2 | |||||
| 2 (2014, 2016) | 2 | |||||
| 1 (2002) | 1 | |||||
| 1 (2006) | 1 |
Bold text denotes team was host country.
Team appearances at the final stages
As of 2026, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 28 | 1963 | Champions | |
| Asia | 28 | 1966 | Champions | |
| Europe | 24 | 1957 | Runners-up | |
| Asia | 22 | 1984 | Champions | |
| Asia | 22 | 1984 | Champions | |
| Asia | 16 | 1975 | Quarter-finals | |
| Americas | 15 | 1960 | Semi-finals | |
| Europe | 14 | 1963 | Runners-up | |
| Americas | 13 | 1957 | Champions | |
| Oceania | 11 | 1975 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 11 | 2002 | Semi-finals | |
| Asia | 10 | 1957 | Semi-finals | |
| Asia | 10 | 1969 | Runners-up | |
| Europe | 10 | 1988 | Runners-up | |
| Asia | 10 | 2004 | Semi-finals | |
| Asia | 9 | 1996 | Semi-finals | |
| Oceania | 6 | 1960 | Semi-finals | |
| Africa | 6 | 2004 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 5 | 1992 | Semi-finals | |
| Europe | 5 | 2010 | Quarter-finals | |
| Europe | 4 | 2016 | Group stage | |
| Asia | 3 | 2006 | Quarter-finals | |
| Europe | 3 | 2018 | Group stage | |
| Africa | 2 | 2016 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 2 | 2016 | Group stage | |
| Africa | 2 | 2020 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 1 | 2020 | Group stage | |
| Oceania | 1 | 2020 | Group stage | |
| Americas | 1 | 2024 | Group stage | |
| Africa | 1 | 2024 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 1 | 2026 | Group stage | |
| Europe | 1 | 2026 | Group stage |
References
- ^ "Thomas and Uber Cups to Stay Together". badminton-information. Archived 24 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ "Thomas -/Uber Cup history". Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ "THE LADIES' WORLD TEAM BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE UBER CUP". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ From 1957 to 1981, Uber Cup actually played each edition for two years, the years shown here is only for final tournament.