DENMARK 26 April 2026 – Malaysia’s national men’s and women’s badminton teams kicked off their campaigns at the 2026 BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals with hard-fought 3-2 victories, showcasing resilience and fighting spirit on the opening day of Group B action at Forum Horsens.
In the Thomas Cup (men’s team championship), Malaysia edged out England 3-2. The tie was tense after singles players Justin Hoh and Aidil Sholeh suffered defeats in the first two matches. However, Malaysia’s doubles pairs turned the tide before world-class shuttler Lee Zii Jia delivered the decisive point in an unfamiliar third singles role. Zii Jia overpowered England’s Nadeem Dalvi 21-13, 21-11 to seal the narrow win for the national squad.
Meanwhile, the women’s team produced an equally dramatic comeback in the Uber Cup against debutant Türkiye. The Malaysians trailed early but rallied to level the tie at 2-2. In the decisive fifth rubber, debutant women’s doubles pair Low Zi Yu and Noraqilah kept their composure under pressure to defeat Yasemen Bektas and Zehra Erdem 21-18, 21-19 in 44 minutes, clinching a memorable 3-2 victory.
Senior Political Advisor to Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) President Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz celebrated the results in a post on X, describing the wins as “narrow but meaningful.”
“Menang tipis, tapi penuh makna,” he wrote. “Skuad lelaki dan wanita negara memulakan kempen Piala Thomas & Piala Uber dengan kemenangan 3-2 – bukti semangat juang yang tak pernah luntur. Teruskan momentum ini. Sokongan rakyat sentiasa bersama.”
Tengku Zafrul, who also chairs the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), urged the teams to maintain the momentum as they chase the #Tangkis2030 vision under the hashtags #BAM #BadmintonMalaysia #GemilangkanLagi #DemiMalaysia #PialaThomas #PialaUber.
The results mark a confident start for Malaysia in Group B of both tournaments, which run until 3 May 2026. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages.
Badminton fans and the nation are now rallying behind the squads as they continue their quest for glory on the world stage.
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