Uber Cup
| Current season, competition or edition: Current sports event 2024 Thomas & Uber Cup | |
| Sport | Badminton |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Countries | BWF member nations |
| Most recent champion(s) | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China (16th title) |
| Most titles | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China (16 titles) |
The Uber Cup, sometimes called the World Women's Team Championships, 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 2024 tournament, China is the most successful team, having won 16 titles. Japan is second, having won it six times, followed by Indonesia and United States, each with three cups.
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
1957–1981
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1984–1988
| Year | Host | Final | Third place tie | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | ||||
| 1984 Details |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China |
5–0 | File:Flag of England.svg England |
File:Flag of South Korea (1984–1997).svg South Korea |
5–0 | File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | ||
| 1986 Details |
Jakarta, Indonesia | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China |
3–2 | File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia |
File:Flag of South Korea (1984–1997).svg South Korea |
3–2 | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | ||
| 1988 Details |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China |
5–0 | File:Flag of South Korea (1984–1997).svg South Korea |
File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia |
5–0 | File:Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan | ||
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1990–present
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Successful national teams
So far, only five countries have won the Uber Cup with China the most successful team, with 16 titles, followed by Japan (six titles), Indonesia (three titles), the United States (three titles) and Korea (two titles). 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, Hong Kong, Germany, Chinese Taipei and India are the other fives teams which have made it into the final four.
| Teams | Titles | Runners-up | Semi-finalists | Third place | Fourth place | Top 4 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China | 16 (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2024) | 4 (1994, 1996, 2010, 2022) | 1 (2018) | — | — | 21 |
| File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 6 (1966, 1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 2018) | 3 (1975, 2014, 2020) | 7 (1990, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2022, 2024) | — | 2 (1986, 1988) | 18 |
| File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia | 3 (1975, 1994, 1996) | 8 (1969, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1998, 2008, 2024) | 4 (1990, 1992, 2000, 2010) | 1 (1988) | — | 16 |
| File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 3 (1957, 1960, 1963) | 1 (1966) | — | — | — | 4 |
| File:Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea | 2 (2010, 2022) | 7 (1988, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2016) | 9 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2024) | 2 (1984, 1986) | — | 20 |
| File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | — | 3 (1957, 1960, 2000) | 3 (1996, 1998, 2004) | — | 1 (1984) | 7 |
| File:Flag of England.svg England | — | 2 (1963, 1984) | — | — | — | 2 |
| File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand | — | 1 (2018) | 3 (2012, 2020, 2022) | — | — | 4 |
| File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | — | 1 (2006) | 1 (2002) | — | — | 2 |
| File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden | — | — | 2 (1992, 1994) | — | — | 2 |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | — | — | 2 (2006, 2008) | — | — | 2 |
| File:Flag of India.svg India | — | — | 2 (2014, 2016) | — | — | 2 |
| File:Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong | — | — | 1 (2002) | — | — | 1 |
| File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei | — | — | 1 (2006) | — | — | 1 |
Bold text denotes team was host country.
Team appearances at the final stages
As of 2022[update], 28 teams have qualified in the history of the competition for the final stages of the Uber Cup. Asia and Europe are the continent with the most teams, at ten. Africa and Oceania have each had three teams that qualified, while Canada and United States are the only team that has qualified from Pan America. Below is the list of teams that have appeared in the final stage of Uber Cup as of the 2024 tournament.
- 27 times
- 23 times
- 21 times
- 15 times
- 14 times
- 13 times
- 11 times
- 10 times
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- 9 times
- File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei
- File:Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong
- File:Flag of India.svg India
- File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand
- 6 times
- 5 times
- File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia
- File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
- File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
- 3 times
- 2 times
- 1 time
References
- ↑ "Thomas and Uber Cups to Stay Together". badminton-information. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Thomas -/Uber Cup history". Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "THE LADIES' WORLD TEAM BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE UBER CUP". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ↑ From 1957 to 1981, Uber Cup actually played each edition for two years, the years shown here is only for final tournament.
