The Australia national badminton team, also known as The Falcons, represents Australia in international badminton team competitions. The team is controlled by Badminton Australia, the leading authority for badminton in the country. The team's history dates back to 1900, with the establishment of Badminton Australia in 1932 leading to the formation of the national team. The Falcons made their international debut in the 1955 Thomas Cup.
The team has had some success in regional competitions, particularly the Oceania Mixed Team Championships, where they have been crowned champions multiple times. Despite their regional success, the team has yet to reach the semi-finals in global competitions such as the Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, and the Sudirman Cup. The team's highest global ranking to date is 16th, achieved on 5 October 2017. As of 2 January 2024, the team is ranked 18th in the world.
History Australia's badminton history first began in 1900, when the sport was played and was considered a popular pastime for church groups which played the game in church halls. In 1932, Badminton Australia was established which led to the formation of the national team. Nicknamed the Falcons, the Australian team made their international team debut when the men's team competed in the 1955 Thomas Cup.
Men's team Australia qualified for their first Thomas Cup in 1955 after defeating New Zealand 7–2 in the Australasian zone qualifiers. The team then lost 9–0 to Denmark in the inter-zone playoffs. In the 1961 Thomas Cup, the Australian team failed to advance further after losing the first round to Thailand.
After 49 years, Australia qualified for the Thomas Cup once again in 2010 after being crowned champions at the 2010 Oceania Men's Team Championships. The team were eliminated in the group stages after losing to Indonesia and India in Group D. The team failed to qualify for the next two editions of the championships but returned to the 2018 Thomas Cup. The team lost all their matches in Group A against China, France and India.
In 2020, the team qualified for the 2020 Thomas Cup but withdrew from the competition due to travel costs and quarantine restrictions in the country. The team were then replaced by Tahiti.
Women's team The Australian women's team made their Uber Cup debut in 1975 after defeating New Zealand. The team missed their chances of entering the second round after losing narrowly to Canada.
The Australian women's team won every Oceania Women's Team Championships and qualified for the Uber Cup consecutively in the 2010s. In 2020, the women's team withdrew from the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup along with the men's team.
Mixed team The Australian mixed team first competed in the 1982 Commonwealth Games. The team won third place after winning against New Zealand in the bronze-medal tie. The team won third place for a second time in 1986 after a close battle against Scotland. In 1989, the team competed in the inaugural edition of the Sudirman Cup. The team lost 4–1 to Scotland but managed to win 3–2 against Germany and Poland to claim 16th place in the final standings. The team won the first two Oceania Mixed Team Championships in 1999 and 2002. The team won every mixed team title in the 2010s.
The mixed team continued their win streak by winning the Oceania Mixed Team Championships for the sixth time in 2023. This qualified them for the 2023 Sudirman Cup in Suzhou.
Competitive record
Thomas Cup YearRound1949Did not enter1952Did not qualify1955First round inter-zone5th1958Did not qualify1961First round inter-zone5th1964Did not qualify19671970197319761979198219841986198819901992199419961998200020022004200620082010Group stage9th2012Did not qualify201420162018Group stage13th2020Withdrew2022Did not qualify2024Group stage14th2026Group stage15th2028TBD2030
Uber Cup YearRound1957Did not enter1960Did not qualify19631966196919721975First round inter-zone5th1978First round inter-zone6th1981Did not qualify19841986198819901992199419961998200020022004Group stage10th2006Did not qualify20082010Group stage10th2012Group stage10th2014Group stage16th2016Group stage15th2018Group stage13th2020Withdrew2022Group stage15th2024Group stage13th2026Group stage15th2028TBD2030
Sudirman Cup YearRound1989Group stage16th1991Group stage15th1993Group stage14th1995Group stage15th1997Group stage16th1999Group stage19th2001Did not enter2003Group stage26th2005Group stage27th2007Group stage26th2009Group stage24th2011Group stage22nd2013Group stage24th2015Group stage23rd2017Group stage15th2019Group stage24th2021Withdrew2023Group stage15th2025Group stage14th2027TBD2029
Commonwealth Games
Men's team YearRound1998Quarter-finals
Women's team YearRound1998Third place3rd
Mixed team YearRound1978Group stage1982Third place3rd1986Third place3rd1990Quarter-finals1994Semi-finals3rd2002Quarter-finals2006Quarter-finals2010Quarter-finals2014Quarter-finals2018Quarter-finals2022Group stage2026TBD
Oceania Team Championships
Men's team YearRound2004Runners-up2nd2006Runners-up2nd2008Runners-up2nd2010Champions1st2012Runners-up2nd2016Runners-up2nd2018Champions1st2020Champions1st2024Champions1st2026Champions1st
Women's team YearRound2004Champions1st2006Runners-up2nd2008Runners-up2nd2010Champions1st2012Champions1st2016Champions1st2018Champions1st2020Champions1st2024Champions1st2026Champions1st
Mixed team YearRound1999Champions1st2002Champions1st2004Runners-up2nd2006Runners-up2nd2008Runners-up2nd2010Champions1st2012Champions1st2014Champions1st2016Champions1st2019Champions1st2023Champions1st2025Champions1st
FISU World University Games
Mixed team YearRound2007Did not enter20112013Group stage2015Group stage2017Group stage11th2021Did not enter2025TBD
World University Team Championships
Mixed team YearRound2008Did not enter201020122014Group stage12th2016Did not enter2018Group stage10th
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Junior competitive record Suhandinata Cup
YearRound2000Group stage12th2002Group stage22nd2004Did not enter2006Group stage24th2007Group stage19th2008Did not enter2009Group stage21st2010Did not enter2011Group stage18th2012Group stage19th2013Group stage19th2014Group stage23rd2015Group stage22nd2016Group stage26th2017Group stage35th2018Group stage35th2019Group stage35th2020Cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic20212022Group stage19th2023Group stage25th2024Group stage26th2025Group stage20th of 362026 Qualified
Commonwealth Youth Games
Mixed team YearRound2004Group stage7th
Oceania Junior Team Championships Mixed team YearRound2011Runners-up2nd2013Champions1st2015Champions1st2017Runners-up2nd2019Champions1st2023Champions1st2025Champions1st
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Staff The following list shows the coaching staff for the Australian national badminton team. +NameRole Leanne ChooHead coach Vountus Indra MawanAssistant coach
Players
Current squad
Men's team NameDoB/AgeRanking of eventMSMDXDJack Yu204154183Keith Mark Edison291154952Ricky Tang181266346Huaidong Tang –266 243Jacob Schueler174363281Nathan Tang155363 –Gavin Kyjac Ong709403 346Teoh Kai Chen267403144Rayne Wang –182130Kenneth Choo –18244
Women's team NameDoB/AgeRanking of eventWSWDXDChen Hsuan-yu437419 –Tiffany Ho96264 –Gronya Somerville –6544Kaitlyn Ea –65324Angela Yu –41130Setyana Mapasa –41 –Louisa Ma184348281Joyce Choong –207413Bernice Teoh131 457144Sydney Go287357 –
References