A standard badminton match is usually won by the player or pair that wins two games.
Under the modern rally-point system, a match is normally played as the best of three games. Each game is generally played to 21 points, with a player or pair needing a two-point lead unless the score reaches the law’s upper limit. This means a match can finish in two games or continue to a deciding third game.
The phrase “two games” refers to the match requirement, not the number of points in a game. A common mistake is to say that badminton matches are best of five, but the standard format used in major international badminton is best of three. Tournament organizers can use different formats in some nonstandard competitions, so the answer applies to the ordinary match format governed by BWF laws.
Badminton differs from sports in which a match may require three won sets. In badminton, the winner is the first side to win two games.