When the World Championships kick off on Monday, there will be many European women in the women’s singles draw.
Of the 64 players who have qualified, 24 are from Europe, representing 16 different nations.
Although there is strong representation from European nations, there is no guarantee of success. None of the European players are seeded, which means that many of them face a very tough draw.

At the most recent World Championships in 2023 in Copenhagen, there were many strong performances from several European women’s singles players, but in the end it was only Carolina Marin who managed to progress beyond the second round. She went all the way to the final, where she was defeated by An Se Young.

Although many players face incredibly tough opposition in the first round, it will also provide valuable experience and development opportunities. While several of the more established players such as Kirsty Gilmour, Line Kjærsfeldt and Mia Blichfeldt dream of playing into the weekend when the medals are decided, 12 of the 24 European players are 25 years old or younger. For them, this will be a major experience, which will hopefully help them in their career towards the world’s top level. Several are making their World Championships debut, for example Kaloyana Nalbantova from Bulgaria and Petra Maixnerova from Czechia. The two teenagers, both with great potential, will have the chance to step onto the biggest stage, face world-class players, and measure themselves against them. This is not the first time that young Nalbantova steps into the big arena in Paris. Last year she also took part in the Olympic Games in Paris, where in her group she defeated Qi Xuefei from France and lost to the eventual champion An Se Young.

At the World Championships, Petra Maixnerova will face world number 7 Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, while Kaloyana Nalbantova will be up against the 2019 World Champion Pusarla Sindhu.

List of women’s singles players from Europe.

Clara Lassaux / Belgium
Yvonne Li, Miranda Wilson / Germany
Ozge Bayrak, Neslihan Arin / Türkiye
Petra Maixnerova, Tereza Svabikova/ Czechia
Rachael Darragh / Ireland
Anna Tatranova / France
Mia Blichfeldt, Line Kjærsfeldt, Julie Dawall Jakobsen / Denmark
Kirsty Gilmour / Scotland
Stefani Stoeva, Kaloyana Nalbantova / Bulgaria
Kristin Kuuba / Estonia
Polina Buhrova, Yevheniia Kantemyr / Ukraine
Yasmine Hamza / Italy
Keisha Fatimah Azzahra / Azerbaijan
Vivien Dandorhazi, Agnes Korosi / Hungary
Clara Azurmendi / Spain
Milena Schnider / Switzerland