The world’s best junior badminton players will come together in Cairo, Egypt, for the 2026 BWF World Junior Championships, with the prestigious event taking place from 5–18 October 2026.
This year’s championships are particularly significant, with Egypt hosting the event for the first time and the tournament returning to Africa after 24 years.
The championships will begin with the Suhandinata Cup Mixed Team Event, running from 5–10 October, before the Individual Championships take place from 11–17/18 October.
Strong North Harbour Representation
New Zealand will be represented by a talented junior team, with five of the eight players selected coming from Badminton North Harbour, highlighting the strength of the junior programme across North Harbour. In fact, the New Zealand team is represented by players from just two associations,
New Zealand Team
- Larry Li – North Harbour
- Ben Rambaud – Counties Manukau
- Eason Li – Counties Manukau
- Jay Tan – Counties Manukau
- Yanxi Liu – North Harbour
- Natalie Ting – North Harbour
- Amy Wang – North Harbour
- Josephine Zhao – North Harbour
The team will compete against junior national teams from around the world in the Suhandinata Cup, before turning their attention to the individual championships.
The Suhandinata Cup will be played in a Team Relay format, providing an exciting and unique format for the world’s top junior teams to compete for the prestigious World Junior Team Championship title.
North Harbour Official Selected
North Harbour will also have representation on the international technical officiating team, with Julie Carrel selected as part of the referee team for the Suhandinata Cup Team Event.
Julie’s selection is a fantastic achievement and highlights the growing experience and capability of North Harbour’s technical officials on the international stage.
With five players and a referee representing North Harbour, the 2026 BWF World Junior Championships will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the depth of talent within our association – both on and off the court.
Badminton North Harbour wishes Larry, Yanxi, Natalie, Amy, Josephine and Julie all the very best for the championships in Cairo. We will be following their journey and cheering them on from home!
