The TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025 are 17 days away and while the draw is yet to be released, we already know which players are confirmed. And the singles events are set to be thrilling!
We had major news yesterday as Viktor Axelsen announced he will not be competing in Paris. The two-time World Champion shared the update on his social media, citing advice from his medical team to dedicate more time to his rehabilitation but emphasised that he remains “highly motivated […] with [his] rehab and set [himself] a new goal to come back stronger.”
Read more about his withdrawal here.
Still, there are plenty of exciting names confirmed to compete, and both the men’s and women’s singles list promise to deliver top-level action.
Men’s singles
Leading the European group is Anders Antonsen, currently ranked number two in the world. While the Dane’s season has seen some ups and downs, highlighted by a silver medal at the Malaysia Open, a runner-up finish in Thailand, a title win at the Indonesia Open, and most recently a bronze at the China Open, he’s proven to be a strong medal contender heading into Paris.
France will also be one to watch with three standout players. Alex Lanier, the reigning European champion, recently reached the final at the Japan Open. Christo Popov left with a bronze at the same tournament and a quarterfinal finish at the China Open. Toma Junior Popov is also on top, currently with a career-high world ranking at 15.
Other confirmed European players in men’s singles include Rasmus Gemke, Nhat Nguyen, Julien Carraggi, and Joakim Oldorff, among others, bringing the total number of European men’s singles players to 23.
Women’s singles
At the top of the European women’s singles list is Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt, who won the European Championship title earlier this year in April on home soil. That came right after a strong runner-up finish at the Swiss Open. While results have dipped slightly since, with her best finish being a round of 16 at the Malaysia Masters, she’ll be looking to make a strong start in Paris.
Next is fellow Dane Mia Blichfeldt, who returned this summer after a four-month injury break. While she’s had two early exits in her comeback, she’s building up form and confidence, and will be aiming to get a great result in Paris.
Kirsty Gilmour also joins the list of European contenders. The Scot will be competing in her tenth World Championships – what a feat! – with her best result being a quarterfinal finish in Glasgow 2017. Also competing are Julie Dawall Jakobsen, Polina Buhrova, and Keisha Fatimah Azzahra, with 24 European women’s singles players in total ready to compete.
As you can see, there are many names and plenty of talent. Europe is ready. There’s just as much to be excited about in doubles, which we’ll break down in detail in Monday’s article. Stay tuned.
