Road to LA28: How Badminton Players Will Qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games

The qualification pathway for badminton at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games has officially been outlined by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).

The framework, updated as of 10 December 2025, offers clarity on athlete quotas, qualification routes, ranking timelines and the role of continental representation in shaping the competitive field. With 172 total athlete slots equally split between men and women LA28 continues the Olympic commitment to gender parity while ensuring global competitiveness. 

Five Events, Equal Representation

Badminton at LA28 will feature five medal events:

• Men’s Singles (MS)
• Women’s Singles (WS)
• Men’s Doubles (MD)
• Women’s Doubles (WD)
• Mixed Doubles (XD)

These are identical to previous Olympic cycles, reflecting BWF’s consistent competition structure. As shown on page 1, the quota includes 83 men and 83 women, augmented by host country and universality positions to reach a total of 172 athletes. 

Quota Distribution and Maximum Entry per Nation

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter up to 16 athletes eight men and eight women across all badminton events.  This cap ensures balanced global participation and prevents any single nation from sweeping the entire draw.

Event-specific maximums are defined

• Singles: 38 athletes per gender
• Doubles: 16 pairs per event

These numbers may adjust slightly after reallocations, especially for athletes competing in both singles and doubles. 

Olympic Ranking: The Heart of Qualification

The backbone of LA28 qualification is the LA28 Olympic Ranking, published on 2 May 2028. Only results achieved between 3 May 2027 and 30 April 2028 count toward these rankings. Events contributing to these rankings include major team tournaments such as the Thomas & Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup, individual and team Continental Championships, the World Championships, and all Grade 2 BWF World Tour tournaments. Even Grade 3 events International Challenge, International Series, Future Series are included, ensuring ample qualification opportunities. 

Crucially, all athletes must participate in at least three ranking tournaments during the qualification period to be eligible a rule that also applies to universality and continental quota candidates.

Singles Qualification: 35 Slots Per Gender

As outlined on page 4, 35 men and 35 women secure singles quota places based on the Olympic Ranking as of 2 May 2028. This total includes continental representation guarantees. 

Continental Representation: A Key Requirement

Every singles event must feature at least two athletes from each of the five BWF Continental Confederations Asia, Europe, Pan America, Oceania, and Africa provided the athletes are ranked within the top 250. If a continent has no athlete ranked inside 250, the next highest-ranked eligible athlete becomes the continental representative. 

This mechanism ensures that badminton maintains a truly global footprint, even in events traditionally dominated by Asian and European powerhouses.

Doubles Qualification: 48 Pairs Across the Board

Doubles qualification includes 16 pairs each for men’s, women’s and mixed doubles — totalling 48 pairs or 96 athletes.  As in singles, continental representation rules apply: every doubles event must have at least one qualifying pair from each continent, ranked in the top 50.

If a pair qualifies in more than one event for instance, an athlete who qualifies in both mixed and men’s/women’s doubles any unused quota place is offered to the next eligible athlete in singles rankings, subject to NOC confirmation. 

The United States, as the host nation, is guaranteed one men’s singles and one women’s singles quota place, provided it does not already qualify athletes through rankings. Pages 5–6 clarify that these host places must be confirmed by 8 May 2028. If no U.S. athlete appears in the Olympic Ranking for a singles event, the country may designate any eligible athlete. 

Universality Places

Four universality slots two in men’s singles and two in women’s singles are available to nations with low representation at the Games. These are allocated by the Tripartite Commission, with NOCs submitting applications by 15 January 2028.  Universality places ensure that athletes from smaller badminton nations, or those with limited access to competition infrastructure, can still be part of the Olympic platform.

Reallocation of Unused Quota Places

Section F explains the step-by-step reallocation procedure. If any NOC declines its quota whether singles, doubles, continental slots or universality the place is offered to the next highest-ranked eligible athlete or pair. Notably, if an NOC first declines a quota but later accepts a lower-ranked reallocation, the original athlete or pair cannot be reinstated if the replacement becomes unavailable. This rule ensures finality and maintains a clear qualification hierarchy. 

Unused host nation or universality slots are reallocated strictly through Olympic Ranking order. 

Key Timeline Milestones

As detailed, the major dates include:

• 3 May 2027: Qualification period begins
• 30 April 2028: Qualification period ends
• 2 May 2028: Olympic Rankings published
• 8 May 2028: Host country confirmation deadline
• 10 May 2028: BWF informs NOCs of allocated quotas
• 19 May 2028: NOCs must confirm use of quotas
• 23 June 2028: All reallocations complete
• 26 June 2028: Final sport entry deadline

Competition at LA28 will take place between 14–30 July 2028. 

A System Designed for Balance and Global Reach

The LA28 badminton qualification system balances merit-based selection, continental diversity, and universal access. By tying qualification directly to a one-year Olympic ranking period and strengthening minimum participation requirements, BWF ensures that every athlete competing in Los Angeles has earned their spot based on performance, consistency and global competitiveness.