PV Sindhu will head into the 2026 BWF World Championships as the women’s singles ninth seed, while the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have been seeded fifth for the tournament in New Delhi.
The BWF World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23, with India fielding two entries in each of the five disciplines.
India has at least one seeded player or pair in four of the five events. Alongside Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag, Lakshya Sen has been seeded 14th in men’s singles, while the mixed doubles combination of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto enters the tournament as the 15th seed.
The qualification list for the World Championships was based on the BWF world rankings as of April 28, 2026, while the seedings were determined using the July 28 rankings.
Sindhu arrives in New Delhi on the back of her Japan Open triumph and will be among India’s biggest medal hopes in front of the home crowd. Former world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen will also be aiming for a deep run after earning the 14th seed.
In men’s doubles, Satwik and Chirag will look to build on their status as one of the world’s leading pairs after being handed the fifth seed.
Reigning men’s singles world champion Shi Yuqi of China has been named the top seed, while South Korea’s An Se Young leads the women’s singles draw.
Defending women’s singles world champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan has been seeded second, followed by China’s Wang Zhiyi and Chen Yufei in third and fourth respectively.
In doubles, South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae are the top seeds in men’s doubles, while China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning head the women’s doubles seedings.
China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping have been named the top seeds in mixed doubles.
The official draw for the championships will take place on Wednesday, although the seedings could still change if any seeded players withdraw before the draw is conducted.