Thomas Cup 2026: France's run to a first final, 3-0 against Japan then India
After beating Indonesia in its group decider, France swept 2014 champions Japan in the quarter-finals on 1 May and 2022 champions India in the semi-finals on 2 May in Horsens.
Quarter-final against Japan
France beat Japan 3-0 in the Thomas Cup quarter-finals at Forum Horsens, Denmark, on Friday 1 May 2026, reaching the semi-finals for the first time, according to The Vibes and Outlook India. Christo Popov beat Kodai Naraoka 21-17, 21-17 (Vibes: 67 minutes), and Toma Junior Popov beat Koki Watanabe in a close match won 23-21 in the last game. Outlook says A. Lanier beat Yushi Tanaka 21-15, 21-17 in the other singles. Japan, the 2014 champions, went out. The Vibes gives Toma's score as 21-19, 23-21 while Outlook implies a third game; we give only the common 23-21.
Semi-final against India
The New Straits Times reports that France swept 2022 champions India 3-0 in the semi-final: Christo Popov beat Ayush Shetty 21-11, 21-9 in 39 minutes, A. Lanier beat Kidambi Srikanth 21-16, 21-18, and Toma Junior Popov beat H. S. Prannoy 21-19, 21-16 in 48 minutes, sending France to its first final. China beat Denmark 3-0 in the other semi-final.
Why it matters
France came into the event as an outsider and left a finalist; the final against China is covered in a separate note.