China Ends Eight-Year Drought with Men’s Doubles Badminton World Title
China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang clinched the men’s doubles world championship at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi on August 23, defeating Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-17, 21-16 in a 35-minute final at the Indira Gandhi Arena. The victory ended China’s eight-year wait for a men’s doubles title at the World Championships, with the pair securing their first individual world championship crown, according to Xinhua News.
A Historic Triumph
The third-seeded Chinese pair delivered a commanding performance, with Wang Chang’s tight net play and Liang Weikeng’s powerful smashes proving too much for the Malaysian fourth seeds, who had won the 2022 World Championships. The pair maintained control throughout most of the match, keeping their errors low and applying consistent pressure on their opponents.
“The pair performed quite well in every aspect of this match,” the duo said after the final. “From the first point, they gave 100% effort, maintaining good speed and attacking power throughout.”
China’s last men’s doubles world title came in 2018 when Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen triumphed in Nanjing. Liang and Wang had previously earned bronze at the 2023 World Championships and silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as noted by CCTV Sports.
Road to the Final
Liang and Wang’s path to the title included a quarter-final victory over India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (21-18, 21-9) and a semi-final win against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan (21-18, 21-14). Their head-to-head record against Chia and Soh stood at 11-3 entering the final, with three consecutive wins dating back to late last year, according to Guangzhou Daily.
Liang, 26, hails from Guangzhou and is the city’s ninth badminton world champion. He had previously won four team world titles but this marks his first individual world championship gold.
China’s Mixed Results at the Championships
The men’s doubles gold was China’s only title at the 30th edition of the World Championships, which was held in India for the first time since 2009. China finished with one gold and two silver medals overall, as China Daily Asia reported.
In the mixed doubles final, France’s Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue upset top-seeded Chinese pair Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping 22-20, 19-21, 21-15 to claim France’s first-ever gold in the event. In the women’s doubles, South Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee defeated China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 21-15, 21-15.
France also celebrated a historic double when Alex Lanier demolished Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in the men’s singles final, while South Korea’s An Se-young secured her second world title with a 21-17, 21-14 win over Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final, as detailed by Hindustan Times.
A Changing Era for Badminton
The 2026 World Championships marked the end of an era in the sport. This was the last edition to use the traditional “3 games of 21 points” scoring system, with the BWF transitioning to a “3 games of 15 points” format starting in 2027, according to Wikipedia.
What’s Next for Liang and Wang
With their first world title secured, Liang and Wang have now completed a remarkable journey from Olympic silver medalists to world champions. The pair, who won the India Open at the start of 2026, will look to carry this momentum into the new scoring era. As Outlook India noted, their victory continued China’s strong record in men’s doubles and gave the pair a memorable triumph on Indian soil.
With the new 15-point scoring system set to debut in 2027, the question now is whether Liang and Wang can build a dynasty in the men’s doubles category, or whether the format change will usher in a new wave of challengers. For now, China can celebrate the end of an eight-year wait and the arrival of a new world champion pairing.