Badminton players over 25 vs under 25 – Who Would Win? (January 2026 Edition)
U25 vs O25
What would happen if you would split all top badminton players into two groups. Under 25 years old and over 25 years old. Who would win if you let them battle in all five categories?
We all know the young superstars who performed at a young age on a world class level. And we also can think of examples of very experienced older players still winning the world championships. If there would be one big teammatch where MD, WD, MS, WS and XD would be played, who would take home the prize? Does experience count or fitness and athleticism.
What makes the groups different?
Advantages below 25:
More speed in movement
More explosiveness
Sky is the limit
Advantages above 25:
More experience
Better tactical insight
Handle pressure well
Disadvantages below 25:
More emotional
Less experience
Break under pressure
Disadvantages above 25:
Prone to injuries
Not as fast (as they used to be)
Not the newest techniques in badminton
Winner per category
Men’s doubles
As of now, week 1 of 2026 the top 10 men’s doubles, there are 2 (individual players) below 25 years old and 18 players above.
For the group below 25, only this pairings can be made:
Wang Chang / Liu Yi
For the group above 25, these pairings can be made for example:
Seo Seung-jae / Kim Won-ho
Soh Wooi Yik / Aaron Chia
And many many more…
Since it is clear that the under 25 players (ranked 4 and 9) are not on the same level as all the players from above 25, it is fair to conclude this category would be won by O25.
Winner O25
Women’s doubles
As of now, week 1 of 2026, the top 10 women’s doubles, there are 7 (individual players) below 25 years old and 13 players above.
For the group below 25, these pairings can be made for example:
Liu Shengshu / Tan Ning
Luo Xu Min / Li Yi Jing
Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi / Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma
For the group above 25, these pairings can be made for example:
Pearly Tan / Thinaah Muralitharan
Kong Hee-yong / Kim Hye-jeong
and many more
Even though Liue Shengshu and Tan Ning are #1, I would argue they cannot carry the group of U25 in this case. After their world championship title, they have not made it to the final in any tournament afterwards and even had some early round losses. They are an excellent pairing, but will not win against all the power that is in the above 25 group. This category will be won by O25, even though it might be a close call.
Winner O25
Men’s singles
As of now, week 1 of 2026, the top 10 men’s singles, there are 4 below 25 years old and 6 players above.
For the group below 25, these players are representing for example:
Alex Lanier
Christo Popov
Kunlavut Vitidsarn
For the group above 25, these players are representing for example:
Shi Yu Qi
Anders Antonsen
Jonatan Christie
Since above 25 has the world number 1# Shi, they are already close to the win. Shi has been in the final for almost all tournaments he played. This backed up by Anders and Jonathan would make a better lineup than the great youngsters like Christo, Alex and Kunlavut. All players can take the win, but in my opinion it is fair to say Shi has the advantage overall, with great players behind him who also stand a great chance. Close to a draw but I would consider this category slightly to the side of O25.
Winner O25
Women’s singles
As of now, week 1 of 2026, the top 10 men’s singles, there are 3 below 25 years old and 7 players above.
For the group below 25, these players are representing for example:
An-Se-young
Putri Kusuma Wardani
Tomoka Miyazaki
For the group above 25, these players are representing for example:
Wang Zhiyi
Akane Yamaguchi
Chen Yufei
and many more
Even though most players in the top 10 are +25, and all top 5 players except from #1 are above 25, I would still consider An Se-young far out the best. I think there is no matchup where I would give the opponent the best chances, even if they all would play consecutively I would say ASY would win them all. Therefore, she carries this category by herself for the U25 year olds.
Winner U25
Mixed doubles
As of now, week 1 of 2026, the top 10 mixed doubles, there are 4 (individual players) below 25 years old consisting of 3 men and 1 women and 16 players above consisting of 7 men and 9 women.
For the group below 25, these pairings can be made for example:
Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu can play with the following players:
Jiang Zhen Bang / Feng Yan Zhe / Jafar Hidayatullah
For the group above 25, these pairings can be made for example:
Huang Dong Ping / Dechapol Puavaranukroh
Wei Ya Xin / Chen Tang Jie
and many more
Since the under 25 can only make pairings with Felisha, I think even tough they have the #1 and #2 men in the world behind them, the mixed couple of Dechapol and Huang Dong Ping can be more effective. Also the O25 years old have many combinations they can make, while the U25 are limited by gender, It is a safe bet to go with O25 for this category.
Winner O25
To conclude
There are differences between the groups with each their strengths and weaknesses
If you would organize a match between the two groups, the Over 25 year olds would win by 4-1, based on some facts, but also my opinion as a writer.
What now?
Now you know the answer to who would win this imaginary team match. But this might change every year while the young superstars get above 25 and a new generation of players arrive. So check in from time to time for an updated version. The next update will be in July 2026. In the meantime, check out the other articles on the site.
Do you agree with me? Let me know!
