Badminton News & Magazine – Global Badminton Updates

The reform marks a noticeable shift in weight for German badminton sport: the traditional YONEX German Open in Mülheim an der Ruhr will move up to the higher-paying Super 500 category from 2027. The HYLO Open, on the other hand, is returning to the Super 300 tournament class and will therefore find itself one step below in the international structure in the future.

The core of the reform is a uniform structure into six service levels. For the first time, all tournament categories will be transferred to a closed system. This includes the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals as well as five tournaments in the Super 1000 category, five Super 750, nine Super 500, eight Super 300 and eight Super 100. The venue for the World Tour Finals will be announced at a later date.

In addition to structural adjustments, the association is announcing significant economic improvements. The prize money is increasing in all tournament classes. For the tournaments in the highest category, the Super 1000, the prize money will increase to two million dollars, after it was still at 1.45 million dollars in 2026. The premiums will also be increased in the other classes: to $1.1 million for Super 750, $560,000 for Super 500, $290,000 for Super 300 and $140,000 for Super 100.

Super 1000 tournaments from 2027:

Malaysian Open

YONEX All England
Indonesia Open

China Open

Denmark Open

At the same time, the media presence of the sport should be expanded. According to the world association, the number of television-produced games will double across all tournament levels. Technically, the use of LED perimeter advertising and a modernized event infrastructure with improved player areas are planned, among other things. The presentation of the competitions should also be more staged; Accompanying festival-style programs have been announced.

In addition, the BWF plans to set up its own OTT streaming platform in order to make content accessible independently of traditional transmission channels. With these measures, the association aims to sustainably increase the international visibility and economic attractiveness of the sport of badminton.