Uber Cup

Uber Cup

Sport	Badminton
Founded	1957
No. of teams	16
Countries	BWF member nations
Most recent champion(s)	Japan (6th title)
Most titles	China (14 titles)

The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Team Championships for Women, is a major international badminton competition contested by women's national badminton teams. First held in 1956–1957 and contested at three year intervals, it has been contested every two years since 1984 when its scheduled times and venues were merged with those of Thomas Cup, the world men's team championship. In 2007, the Badminton World Federation decided to have Thomas and Uber Cup finals separated again but the proposal was ultimately abandoned.^[1] The Uber Cup is named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber, who in 1950 had the idea of hosting a women's event similar to the men's.^[2] She also made the draw for the 1956–1957 inaugural tournament, which took place at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, England.^[3]

The cup follows a similar format to that of the men's competition of the Thomas Cup. As of the 2018 tournament, China is the most successful team, having won fourteen times. Japan is second, having won it six times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.

The 2018 tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand.^[4]

Trophy[]

The Uber Cup trophy was officially presented at the annual general meeting in 1956, the year the first Uber Cup tournament was first held.^[3] It was made by Mappin & Webb, prominent silversmiths on Regent Street in London. The trophy is 20 inches high with a rotating globe on top of a plinth and a female player standing on top of a shuttlecock.^[2]

Results[]

Uber Cup summaries[]

1957–1981[]

Year[5]	Host		Final
			Winner	Score	Runner-up
1957 Details	Lancashire, England		United States	6–1	Denmark
1960 Details	Philadelphia, United States		United States	5–2	Denmark
1963 Details	Wilmington, United States		United States	4–3	England
1966 Details	Wellington, New Zealand		Japan	5–2	United States
1969 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–1	Indonesia
1972 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–1	Indonesia
1975 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		Indonesia	5–2	Japan
1978 Details	Auckland, New Zealand		Japan	5–2	Indonesia
1981 Details	Tokyo, Japan		Japan	6–3	Indonesia

1984–1988[]

Year	Host		Final				Third Place
			Winner	Score	Runner-up		Third Place	Score	Fourth Place
1984 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	5–0	England		South Korea	5–0	Denmark
1986 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–2	Indonesia		South Korea	3–2	Japan
1988 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	5–0	South Korea		Indonesia	5–0	Japan

1990–present[]

Year	Host		Final				Semi-finalists
			Winner	Score	Runner-up
1990 Details	Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan		China	3–2	South Korea		Indonesia	Japan
1992 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	3–2	South Korea		Sweden	Indonesia
1994 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		Indonesia	3–2	China		Sweden	South Korea
1996 Details	Hong Kong		Indonesia	4–1	China		South Korea	Denmark
1998 Details	Hong Kong, China SAR		China	4–1	Indonesia		Denmark	South Korea
2000 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		China	3–0	Denmark		Indonesia	South Korea
2002 Details	Guangzhou, China		China	3–1	South Korea		Netherlands	Hong Kong
2004 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–1	South Korea		Denmark	Japan
2006 Details	Sendai & Tokyo, Japan		China	3–0	Netherlands		Germany	Chinese Taipei
2008 Details	Jakarta, Indonesia		China	3–0	Indonesia		South Korea	Germany
2010 Details	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		South Korea	3–1	China		Japan	Indonesia
2012 Details	Wuhan, China		China	3–0	South Korea		Thailand	Japan
2014 Details	New Delhi, India		China	3–1	Japan		India	South Korea
2016 Details	Kunshan, China		China	3–1	South Korea		India	Japan
2018 Details	Bangkok, Thailand		Japan	3–0	Thailand		South Korea	China
2020 Details	Aarhus, Denmark
2022	Bangkok, Thailand
2024	China

Successful national teams[]

So far, only five countries have won the Uber Cup with China the most successful team, with 14 titles, followed by Japan (six titles), Indonesia (three titles), the United States (three titles) and Korea (one title). The Uber Cup has only spread to two continents so far: Asia and North America.

Nine teams have made it into the finals. The finalists other than the five winner countries above are Denmark, England, the Netherlands and Thailand. Sweden, Germany, Chinese Taipei and India are the other four teams which have made it into the final four.

Teams	Titles	Runners-up
China	14 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002*, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012*, 2014, 2016*)	3 (1994, 1996, 2010)
Japan	6 (1966, 1969*, 1972*, 1978, 1981*, 2018)	2 (1975, 2014)
Indonesia	3 (1975*, 1994*, 1996)	7 (1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1986*, 1998, 2008*)
United States	3 (1957, 1960*, 1963*)	1 (1966)
South Korea	1 (2010)	7 (1988, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016)
Denmark		3 (1957, 1960, 2000)
England		2 (1963, 1984)
Netherlands		1 (2006)
Thailand		1 (2018*)

* = hosts

Team appearances at the final stages[]

Map showing countries that qualified for the final stages of the Uber Cup

As of 2018, 24 teams have qualified in the history of the competition for the final stages of the Uber Cup. Asia is the continent with the most teams, at ten, followed by Europe with eight. The Americas and Oceania have each had two teams that qualified, while South Africa and Mauritius are the only team that has qualified from Africa.

Below is the list of teams that have appeared in the final stage of Uber Cup as of the 2020 tournament.

References[]