Discover Sport™ and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) have partnered to livestream the inaugural BWF AirBadminton World Cup 2025 for free on the Discover Sport™ platform, bringing the sport’s dynamic outdoor format to a global audience from 11–14 December 2025.
Staged at the dramatic Sharjah Corniche, Khor Fakkan beachfront in the United Arab Emirates — and timed one week ahead of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals — the four-day festival promises high-energy competition, evening entertainment and a fresh, beach-and-park vision for the world’s 300 million active badminton players.
“AirBadminton is, quite simply, the new outdoor version of the sport of badminton which is known and played around the world,” says BWF President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, recalling the discipline’s 2019 launch alongside the outdoor AirShuttle. “This year we have launched our first world circuit, enabling more member associations, teams and athletes, especially those beyond the traditional badminton powerhouse nations, to take part in BWF-sanctioned competitions. This strengthens the elite competitive landscape and fosters greater inclusivity.”
A compact, global field — and a festival atmosphere
The World Cup will bring 72 players from 12 countries to Sharjah, competing across three disciplines: team relay, men’s triples and women’s triples. Participating nations are: Australia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, China, Egypt, Venezuela, hosts UAE and top seeds Hong Kong China — a mix that underlines AirBadminton’s growing global reach. Former top-10 men’s singles player Wong Wing Ki Vincent leads Hong Kong China’s Team Relay line-up.
“Discover Sport™ and AirBadminton are a great match in terms of BWF’s vision for the future of the sport,” says Discover Sport™ Founder Stephen Watson. “Ambition Lives Here is our strapline but it’s more than that — it’s our DNA, and it marries perfectly with our desire to serve the underserved sports of the world, including exciting new versions of established sports such as badminton.” Watson adds that Discover Sport™ was built to showcase sport “presented and consumed in a whole new way” and invites fans to register and watch the action for free.
Format, schedule and how to watch
The tournament programme is compact and spectator-friendly:
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Thursday, 11 December: Men’s & Women’s Triples — Group Stage
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Friday, 12 December: Men’s & Women’s Triples — Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals
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Saturday, 13 December: Team Relay — Group Stage
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Sunday, 14 December: Team Relay — Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals
Triples matches use a best-of-five games format; each game is won by the first team to reach 9 points (with two-point advantage rules at 8-all and a deciding point at 12-all). Teams may make up to three substitutions per match.
Team Relay ties consist of four matches (Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Triples, Men’s Triples). Each match is played to 15 points, scores accumulate relay-style, and the first team to 60 points wins the tie. Players may play one or two matches per tie.
Discover Sport™ will stream the event free to registered users via its platform — register and watch at the Discover Sport™ stream link: https://www.discoversport.com/watch/0127abc1-a0a2-4473-b7e5-3d9d5e090132?pid=all&pos=-1.
Why this matters
AirBadminton’s adaptability — playable on hard, grass and sand surfaces — aims to open badminton to parks, beaches and playgrounds worldwide. By pairing elite competition with festival programming and free global livestreaming, BWF and Discover Sport™ are positioning AirBadminton as both a grassroots participation engine and an entertaining spectator discipline that can expand the sport’s footprint and fanbase.
