Men's team
1980s
In the 1982 Thomas Cup European Zone qualifiers, Sweden defeated West Germany 9–0 in Duisburg to advance to the finals but lost 8–1 to Denmark in Copenhagen. [6] In 1984, the team advanced to the knockout stages of the Thomas Cup European Zone qualifiers after finishing first in their group in the group stages but were then defeated by England in the semi-finals. In the third place playoff match, Sweden defeated Scotland 5–0 and successfully qualified for the Thomas Cup for the first time since 1949. [7]
The team were placed into Group B with defending champions China, Denmark and South Korea. The team lost their first match to Denmark 4–1. Their sole victory came from doubles pair Stefan Karlsson and Thomas Kihlström whom won the All England Championships in 1983. [8] The team lost their next matches 5–0 to South Korea and China, finishing last in their group. In 1986, Sweden qualified for the 1986 Thomas Cup after defeating Scotland in the third place playoff. The team were grouped with Indonesia, Denmark and South Korea. Sweden first lost 5–0 to South Korea and Indonesia then 4–1 to Denmark. In the 1988 Thomas Cup qualifiers, Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the European zone but lost to Denmark 5–0. The team almost failed to qualify for the Thomas Cup when the team trailed 0–2 against the Netherlands in the third place playoff. The team then came back to win the tie 3–2 with a win from Jens Olsson in the third singles match and two wins from the doubles matches. Sweden were placed in Group B with the same teams the team faced in the last Thomas Cup. The team lost to Indonesia 5–0 and then 4–1 to Denmark. In their final match, the team trailed 0–1 but took a surprising 2–1 lead against South Korea with two wins in their second and third singles. The team then lost the tie 2–3 with defeat from their doubles matches. [9]
1990s
Sweden advanced to the final of the Thomas Cup European zone qualifiers for the first time after defeating England 3–2 in the semi-finals, granting the team qualification for the 1990 Thomas Cup in Japan. [10] The team then lost 4–1 to Denmark. In the 1990 Thomas Cup, the team finished last in their group after losing to China, Malaysia and South Korea. In 1992, the team qualified for the Thomas Cup after defeating England 4–1 in the European zone semi-finals. Placed in Group A, the team failed to advance to the knockout stages after they lost out to Indonesia 4–1 and China 5–0. The team then won their first ever match in the Thomas Cup when they beat Thailand 3–2 to finish third in the group. [11]
In the 1994 Thomas Cup, the team failed to advance to the knockout stages again after losing out to China and Indonesia but won their last match against Finland 5–0. [12] The team were also eliminated in the group stages of the 1996 Thomas Cup but managed to win a point when they defeated England 4–1. [13] The team also failed to advance to the knockout stages of the Thomas Cup in 1998.
Slow decline (2000–present)
Although Sweden qualified for the Thomas Cup in 2000 and 2002, the team failed to win against all of their opponents and finished last in the group stages. In 2004, Sweden fell short to the Netherlands in the second round of the Thomas Cup European Zone knockout stage and failed to qualify for the final tournament for the first time since 1982. In 2006, the team took part in the 2006 European Men's Team Badminton Championships but failed to reach the knockout stages after losing 3–2 to Ukraine in the group stages. In the 2008 European Men's Team Badminton Championships, the team went a step higher by advancing to the quarter-finals but could not advance further as they lost to Denmark 3–0.
Sweden's group stage woes continued in 2010 and 2012 with the team losing to Russia and Denmark in the group stages of both editions respectively. In 2014, Sweden showed signs of resurgence after ousting fifth seeds, the Netherlands in the group stages and finishing first in their group to reach the quarter-finals of the European Team Championships. [14] However, the team lost their chances of securing bronze when they lost 3–0 to Finland, making it their first ever defeat against the Finns since their first meeting in 1984. [15] In 2016, the team qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Team Championships as the highest ranked second-placed team in the group stages but lost out to Germany 3–0. [16]
In 2020, Sweden were eliminated in the group stages of the European Team Championships after the team finished second behind England. In 2024, the team failed to qualify for the 2024 European Team Championships after losing 5–0 to England in the European qualifiers in Milton Keynes.
Women's team
Sweden first competed in the qualifying rounds of the inaugural Uber Cup. The team played their first match against Ireland in Dublin and lost 6–1. The two teams met again in the second round of the 1960 Uber Cup European Zone qualifiers with Ireland defeating Sweden 7–0. In December 1968, the team lost 4–3 to Scotland in the first round of the 1969 Uber Cup European Zone qualifiers. The team then failed to qualify for the 1972 Uber Cup after losing in the first round of the European Zone qualifiers to Denmark 6–1. In 1974, the team withdrew from the Uber Cup qualifiers following the absence of team captain Eva Stuart. [17]
Debut at the Uber Cup
Sweden made their maiden appearance at the Uber Cup in 1986 when the team qualified for the final tournament after defeating Scotland in the third place playoff of the European Zone qualifiers. The team were placed in Group A with China, Denmark and Japan. The team lost 5–0 to China and Japan in their first two matches and then 3–2 to Denmark. [18]
The team failed to qualify for the Uber Cup for a second consecutive time in 1988 after losing to the Netherlands in the tie for third place at the European qualifiers. In the 1990 Uber Cup, the team suffered defeats from China, South Korea and the Netherlands to finish last in their group. [19]
Uber Cup semi-finalists (1992–1994)
Despite Sweden's disappointing Uber Cup campaign in 1990, the team began showing signs of improvement in 1992 when they defeated England and the Netherlands in the 1992 Uber Cup European Zone knockout stage to qualify for the Uber Cup as winners of the European Zone for the first time. Under coach Kenneth Holmström, Sweden started off with their first win at the Uber Cup by defeating England 3–2. The team then pulled off an upset, beating former champions Japan 4–1 and lost to South Korea by the same margin. With two wins in their record, Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the Uber Cup for the first time since their debut in 1986. In the semi-finals, the team lost 5–0 against the reigning champions, China. [20]
Sweden managed to replicate their success in the next Uber Cup with two wins against Denmark and Thailand in the group stages. The team faced off against China for a second time since the last Uber Cup semi-final. The team trailed 0–2 against their Chinese opposition with Ye Zhaoying and Han Jingna defeating Lim Xiaoqing and Catrine Bengtsson in the first two singles matches. Sweden then won a point when Christine Magnusson defeated Liu Yuhong in three games. Sweden lost the tie when their first doubles pair of Catrine and Maria Bengtsson lost out to Ge Fei and Gu Jun in a tough three game battle. In the second doubles match, Lim and Magnusson defeated Chen Ying and Wu Yuhong in three games to end the tie 2–3.
Recent results (2000–present)
Sweden qualified for the 2000 Uber Cup after failing to qualify for the tournament twice in 1996 and 1998. The team finished last in their group after losing to China, South Korea and the Netherlands.
In 2006, Sweden competed in the European Women's Team Championships and reached the quarter-finals after defeating Italy and hosts Greece in the group stages. The team then lost 3–0 to Germany in the quarter-finals. From 2008 to 2012, the team have failed to advance to the knockout stages of the European Women's Team Championships.
In 2024, Sweden failed to qualify for the European Women's Team Championships after the team finished second behind Spain in their qualifying group.
Mixed team
Sweden hosted the 1972 European Badminton Championships that featured the first edition of the European mixed team event. The team finished in fourth place after achieving a win over Scotland and losing to England, Denmark and West Germany. From 1974 to 1980, the team finished third at the European Mixed Team Championships four times in a row. Sweden went one place up in 1982 when the team finished as runners-up of the European Mixed Team Championships. In 1989, the team competed in the inaugural edition of the Sudirman Cup in Jakarta and finished in fifth place.
European champions (1992–1994)
In April 1992, Sweden won their first ever title at the European Mixed Team Championships by defeating Scotland 5–0 and Denmark and England 3–2. In 1994, the team defended their title by defeating Denmark 3–2 and winning 5–0 against Scotland and Russia.
Decline (2000–present)
In the 2002 European Mixed Team Championships, Sweden finished in fifth place of the overall standings. In the 2007 Sudirman Cup, the team were relegated from Level 1 to Level 2 and finished in 16th place, losing 3–1 to Russia. In the 2009 Sudirman Cup, Sweden were relegated once more to Level 3. The team won their match against Australia 3–1 to maintain their status in Level 3.
Since 2019, Sweden has not qualified for the European Mixed Team Championships.
1 (1 July 2025)
Champions (1992, 1994)
