In just 12 days, the World Championships will kick off in Paris. The buildup is already well underway, and for those interested in a deeper preview, you can read more about the European singles chances here and the doubles chances here.

Earlier today, the tournament draw was made, revealing each player’s potential path to glory. A large number of European players have qualified for this year’s championships, making it impossible to feature everyone in this article. For those who want the full overview, the complete draw can be found here.

Instead, we will highlight some of the first round encounters that, on paper, look particularly exciting or challenging.

Mixed Doubles
Europe’s highest ranked pair, world No. 8 Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue, have a first-round bye. In the second round, they will face either Miha Ivančič/Petra Polanc of Slovenia or a pair from Brazil.

Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje enter the championships fresh from winning the Macao Open in their comeback tournament. They will face Canada’s Ty Alexander Lindeman/Josephine Wu in the first round. If the Danes progress, a tough second round challenge awaits in the form of the top seeds, Feng Yan Zhu/Huang Dong Ping.

Women’s Doubles
The Bulgarian sisters and four time European champions Stoeva/Stoeva top the European rankings and currently sit 19th in the world. At the World Championships, they are favourites in their opening match against another sibling pair – India’s Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda, ranked No. 38 globally.

Men’s Doubles
At the last World Championships in Copenhagen 2023, Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup reached the final, claiming a wellearned silver medal. They continued that strong form, narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal the following year, and even topped the world rankings for several months. However, in 2025, they have struggled to find rhythm and consistency at the highest level. It will be fascinating to see how the reigning vice-champions perform in Paris. They have a first-round bye and will face European opposition in the second round, either Scotland’s Alexander Dunn/Adam Pringle or Switzerland’s Yann Orteu/Minh Quang Pham.

There is also a comeback for England’s Ben Lane/Sean Vendy, who return after Lane’s heel surgery kept them out for the past two months. They also have a first round bye.

Women’s Singles
A few young European talents have been handed tough draws. Kaloyana Nalbantova from Bulgaria, the 2024 BEC Young Player of the Year, will face double world champion Pusarla Sindhu. Belgium’s Clara Lassaux meets reigning world and Olympic champion An Se Young, while Hungary’s Agnes Korosi takes on China’s Wang Zhi Yi.

There will also be an all European clash when European Champion Line Kjærsfeldt faces Kristin Kuuba from Estonia. The winner will meet either Germany’s Miranda Wilson or world No. 11 Supanida Katethong from Thailand.

Men’s Singles
Plenty of intriguing first round ties await. With Viktor Axelsen unfortunately withdrawing from the tournament, it will be interesting to see which Europeans step up in his absence. Anders Antonsen is seeded to reach the final and will meet Brazil’s Jonathan Matias in round one. Should he progress, his second round opponent will be either Finland’s Joakim Oldorff or India’s H. S. Prannoy.

France’s Alex Lanier will face Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen in the opening round. The winner will then meet the victor of the all European tie between Azerbaijan’s Dicky Dwi Pangestu and Croatia’s bronze medallist Aria Dinata.

Several other Europeans have also drawn tough first round matches: Germany’s Matthias Kicklitz takes on Jonatan Christie, Czech player Jan Louda meets Chou Tien Chen, and France’s Toma Junior Popov faces the dangerous Anthony Ginting.

Veteran Pablo Abian will compete in his 14th World Championships and will meet 22 year old debutant Ethan Rose from England in the first round.

All in all, the stage is set for an incredibly exciting and entertaining tournament, which will begin on Monday, August 25.