In any sport, the curtain raiser of a new season is quite special. For us, badminton holds a key place, since the BWF World Tour kickstarts this year with our own Malaysia Open 2026. A tournament of prime importance, it will feature almost every star shuttler of the modern era.
We will talk about it in detail, but before that, you need to keep in mind a few key points about the event:
- Dates: 6 to 11 January
- Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Defending champions: Shi Yuqi (men’s singles), An Se-young (women’s singles)
Held for the first time in 1937, the Malaysia Open is one of the oldest Asian badminton tournaments. In its history of nearly 90 years, the competition has been played in five different cities across Malaysia.
A.S. Samuel and Alice Pennefather were the men’s and women’s singles champions in the inaugural edition of the Malaysia Open. Here are the individual records in the tournament’s history:
- Most men’s singles titles: Lee Chong Wei (12)
- Most women’s singles titles: Cecilia Samuel (nine)
Being a Super 1000 event on the BWF World Tour, the Malaysia Open has caught the attention of almost all major shuttlers like Anders Antonsen, Viktor Axelsen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and An Se-young (to name a few). This is because of the sizeable payout pot and ranking points on offer.
So how lucrative are the payouts? Join us as we take a detailed look at the Malaysia Open 2026 prize money pool, along with the tournament’s schedule, venue, and where to live-stream the matches.
Breaking down the Malaysia Open 2026 prize money pool
According to the official website of the tournament, the Malaysia Open 2026 has a prize money pool of USD 1.45 million (MYR 5.88 million approx.). This figure remains unchanged from last year.
Out of this pot, the champions in the men’s and women’s singles categories will be handsomely rewarded with USD 101,500 and 12,000 BWF points. Meanwhile, the winning teams in the men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles divisions will pocket USD 107,300, along with 12,000 BWF points.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the Malaysia Open 2026 payout structure and points division:
Singles (men’s and women’s)
- Winners: USD 101,500 and 12,000 BWF points
- Runners-up: USD 49,300 and 10,200 BWF points
- Semi-finalists: USD 20,300 and 8,400 BWF points
- Quarter-finalists: USD 7,975 and 6,600 BWF points
- Last 16: USD 4,350 and 4,800 BWF points
- Last 32: USD 1,450 and 3,000 BWF points
Doubles (men’s, women’s and mixed)
- Winners: USD 107,300 and 12,000 BWF points
- Runners-up: USD 50,750 and 10,200 BWF points
- Semi-finalists: USD 20,300 and 8,400 BWF points
- Quarter-finalists: USD 9,062.50 and 6,600 BWF points
- Last 16: USD 4,712.50 and 4,800 BWF points
- Last 32: USD 1,450 and 3,000 BWF points
A look at the schedule and venue of the Malaysia Open 2026
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The Malaysia Open 2026, which began on Tuesday, 6 January, will draw to a close with the finals of all its categories on Sunday, 11 January. This tournament is being contested at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Where can you watch the Malaysia Open in Malaysia?
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Badminton fans in Malaysia can live stream the Malaysia Open on BWF’s official YouTube channel, BWF TV.
(Hero Image Credits: Anders Antonsen/Instagram and anseyoung/Instagram: Featured Image Credit: Anders Antonsen/Instagram)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.