Southeast Asia commands respect on badminton’s biggest stage

The BWF World Tour Finals is the year-end finale organized by the Badminton World Federation.

Launched in 2018, the World Tour Finals is considered one of badminton’s most prestigious titles, rivaling even the Olympics in status.

Only the top eight players or pairs in each of the five disciplines, including men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, qualify. In total, just 64 of the world’s best athletes earn a place.

The 2025 edition was held in Hangzhou, China from December 17 to 21, marking the third consecutive year the city has hosted the event.

Despite strict BWF rules limiting each country to a maximum of two entries per discipline, Southeast Asia’s presence remains striking.

Thailand fielded five players, Indonesia eight, and Malaysia as many as 10, second only to host nation China.

Players from Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia make up roughly 36 percent of the tournament field, meaning more than one-third of the world’s elite badminton players come from just three Southeast Asian nations.

For the global badminton community, this concentration of talent is impossible to ignore.

This depth of quality also explains why the SEA Games became something of a warm-up event for these powerhouses.

Thailand’s world No. 3 Kunlavut Vitidsarn competed at the home SEA Games only in the team event, conserving energy for Hangzhou.

Indonesia, meanwhile, left several of its top male players out of the SEA Games entirely to focus on preparation for the World Tour Finals.

The results validated that strategy.

Thailand did not claim the title, but its two singles stars delivered standout performances. Kunlavut Vitidsarn reached the semifinals after defeating world No. 2 Anders Antonsen, while women’s singles veteran Ratchanok Intanon impressed by eliminating China’s Han Yue.

Indonesia and Malaysia shone brightest in the doubles events.

Indonesia’s Gutama-Isfahani pair advanced to the men’s doubles semifinals.

Malaysia placed pairs in three semifinals, with Tan-Muralitharan in women’s doubles and Jie-Wei in mixed doubles.

These performances reinforce the global stature of badminton in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Even as Western nations invest more heavily in the sport, Southeast Asia’s traditionally ‘smaller-built’ players continue to hold firm positions in the world’s top 10 across all events through speed, technique, and tactical intelligence.

For Vietnam, the contrast is sobering.

Badminton is deeply embedded in schools and grassroots sport nationwide, but Vietnamese fans largely watch neighboring rivals dominate the world’s biggest tournaments.

As Southeast Asian stars increasingly treat the SEA Games as secondary, Vietnam’s elusive gold medal remains out of reach.

The 2025 SEA Games, held from December 9 to 20 across Thailand, featured 9,366 athletes competing in 50 sports, with a total of 574 medal events.

The host nation finished atop the medal table with a record 233 gold medals among 499 overall, followed by Indonesia with 91 gold medals and Vietnam with 87 golds.