As 2025 draws to a close, we look back on a memorable year filled with outstanding badminton across Europe. Once again, in close cooperation with our Member Associations, we delivered a series of fantastic events on European soil, showcasing both elite performance and the strength of our badminton community.
The year began with the 2025 European Mixed Team Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, where eight nations qualified for the finals: Azerbaijan, Czechia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The semifinals saw Denmark face Germany, while England took on France – the same four nations that reached the semifinals in 2021 & 2023. As expected, the two main favourites progressed, setting up another highly anticipated final between Denmark and France. Having met in the finals of both 2021 & 2023, with Denmark victorious on both occasions, history repeated itself in 2025 as Denmark claimed the title once again with a 3–0 win after some close and exciting matches.
The next major highlight was the 2025 European Championships in Horsens, Denmark. A total of 226 athletes from 34 nations competed in a week filled with world-class badminton in outstanding surroundings, delivered through great cooperation with Badminton Denmark. While the championships were missing some of Europe’s biggest stars due to injury and illness – including Viktor Axelsen, Carolina Marin, Mia Blichfeldt and Anders Antonsen – new names stepped forward to make history. Alex Lanier became the youngest ever European men’s singles champion at just 20 years and 77 days, surpassing the previous record held by Peter Gade. Croatia and Hungary also celebrated historic breakthroughs, as Aria Dinata and Vivien Sandorházi secured their nations’ first-ever European Championship medals with bronze in men’s and women’s singles respectively. In total, seven different nations left Horsens with at least one medal. France and Denmark each won two gold medals, while Bulgaria claimed the remaining gold in women’s doubles through the Stoeva sisters.
The year concluded with the 2025 European U17 Team Championships and 2025 European U17 Championships on Lanzarote, Spain. As at senior level, the team final featured Denmark and France, but this time it was France who claimed the gold, with England and Germany taking bronze. Overall, it was a highly successful fortnight for the French delegation, who not only won the team title but also secured four gold medals in the individual championships. The final gold medal went to England, with Rajvi Parab triumphing in women’s singles.
All in all, 2025 has been an exciting and memorable year for European badminton. It concluded with qualification events for the 2026 European Men’s & Women’s Team Championships, allowing us to already look ahead to a packed 2026 calendar with even more major championships across the continent – with more details to follow in the coming days.
