How to qualify in Badminton
How badminton players qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
Badminton at Los Angeles 2028 has 172 places: 86 for men and 86 for women, across five events.
Almost all of them go by one list: the LA28 Olympic Ranking, published on 2 May 2028. It counts results from 3 May 2027 to 30 April 2028. Players earn their places by name, so a place belongs to the player or pair who won it, not to the country.
The best-ranked players get in, with three limits. A country can send at most two players in a singles event, and only if both are in the top 16; otherwise one. In doubles it can send two pairs only if both are in the top eight; otherwise one. And every continent is guaranteed some players.
There are 38 places in each singles event and 16 pairs in each doubles event. The United States, as host, is sure of one man and one woman in singles. Four more singles places are universality places, which the IOC hands out to eligible countries.
To be eligible a player must have played at least three ranking tournaments in their event during the qualifying year.
So for an Indian player the question is simple to put: where will they stand on the list of 2 May 2028? The rest of this page is how that list is turned into names.
The five events and the places
| Men | Women | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quota places | 83 | 83 | 166 |
| Host country places | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Universality places | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Total | 86 | 86 | 172 |
The events are men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. Each singles event has 38 players and each doubles event 16 pairs (32 players). The 38 in singles is the figure after places freed by players who qualified in two events have been passed on, which is explained below.
The ranking that decides it
The LA28 Olympic Ranking of 2 May 2028 is built from results between 3 May 2027 and 30 April 2028. These count: the Thomas and Uber Cup finals, the Sudirman Cup finals, the World Championships, the BWF World Tour (Grade 2, Levels 1 to 6), the Grade 3 continental tours (International Challenge, International Series and Future Series), the continental championships (individual and team) and the badminton at the Asian, Pan American, European and African Games if they are sanctioned in that year. Any other event the BWF approves in advance counts too.
The qualification system names this list and its dates. It does not set out how the list is scored; that is in the BWF's own Olympic qualifying regulations, which are not covered here. The BWF world ranking works on the same tournaments and is explained on the badminton ranking page.
Singles: 35 by ranking
The top 35 players in each singles event qualify, with two limits applied as the list is read from the top.
Two per country, only if both are top 16. A country can have two players in a singles event only if both are ranked 1 to 16. Otherwise it has one.
Two per continent. Each of the five BWF continental confederations must have at least two players in each singles event, provided they are ranked in the top 250. If a continent falls short, its highest-ranked eligible player takes a place. These continental places are part of the 35, not extra. A player who gets in on a host or universality place does not count towards a continent's two.
Doubles: 16 pairs by ranking
The top 16 pairs in each doubles event qualify. A country can have two pairs only if both are ranked 1 to 8; otherwise one.
Each continent must have at least one pair in each doubles event: its highest-ranked pair, provided that pair is in the top 50.
No more than two events through the continental route. A country cannot qualify in more than two events through continental places. If it is eligible in more, it chooses which two; the place it gives up goes to the next eligible player or pair. The choice is final.
When a player qualifies twice
A player can qualify in singles and in doubles. When that happens one player is using two places, and the spare place goes to the next eligible player of the same gender in the singles ranking. That offer is conditional: it stands only if the player who qualified twice is confirmed and entered by their country by the entries deadline of 26 June 2028.
This is why the singles fields are 38 and not 35.
The host country
The United States gets one place in men's singles and one in women's singles, unless it has already qualified a singles player through the ranking. Doubles places won through the ranking do not use up these two.
The host places go to the highest-ranked American singles players. If there is none on the list, the United States names its players to the BWF by 8 May 2028.
Universality places
Four universality places, two in men's singles and two in women's singles, are made available to eligible countries. The IOC invites requests on 1 October 2027 with a deadline of 15 January 2028. The Tripartite Commission decides after the qualifying period. The rules for this are in a separate IOC document.
Who is eligible
Every player must comply with the Olympic Charter, the World Anti-Doping Code, the code on competition manipulation, the IOC's policy on the female category and the BWF's own rules.
On top of that the BWF asks two things:
- at least three tournaments in the player's event that count for the LA28 Olympic Ranking, played between 3 May 2027 and 30 April 2028;
- a place on the LA28 Olympic Ranking of 2 May 2028.
Both apply to universality and continental places. Neither applies to the host places.
Places can be turned down
A country with more qualifiers than it may enter, or that prefers a lower-ranked player, can decline a place and take a lower-ranked eligible player during the reallocation. If it does, it cannot go back to the declined player later, even if the one it chose drops out.
A place that is not confirmed in time, or is declined, goes to the next highest-ranked eligible player or pair who has not qualified. A continental place goes to the next eligible player or pair from the same continent, and only if there is none to anyone. An unused host place or universality place goes to the next highest-ranked player of that gender.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 3 May 2027 to 30 April 2028 | Results count for the LA28 Olympic Ranking |
| 1 October 2027 | IOC invites requests for universality places |
| 15 January 2028 | Deadline for universality requests |
| 2 May 2028 | LA28 Olympic Ranking published, with the first list of qualifiers |
| 8 May 2028 | United States confirms its host places |
| 10 May 2028 | BWF tells each country its places |
| 19 May or 24 May 2028 | Countries confirm their places (the document gives both dates; see below) |
| 23 June 2028 | BWF finishes reallocating unused places |
| 26 June 2028 | Entries deadline for the Games |
| 14 to 30 July 2028 | Badminton at LA28 |
A date the document disagrees with itself on. Sections E.1 and F.1 give 24 May 2028 as the deadline for countries to confirm their places. The timeline in section G gives 19 May 2028. Until the BWF settles it, the earlier date is the safe one.
Where to follow it
The BWF publishes the LA28 Olympic Ranking and the list of qualifiers on its website. The list of 2 May 2028 is the one that decides.