The Thomas Cup is the world team championship for men’s national badminton teams.
The competition is officially the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals when staged alongside the women’s event, but the Thomas Cup itself is the men’s team championship. Each tie consists of singles and doubles matches, with national teams competing rather than individual players entering alone.
The trophy was donated by Sir George Thomas, an English badminton player and administrator who also served as the first president of the International Badminton Federation. The inaugural Thomas Cup tournament took place in 1949, after a delay caused by the Second World War. Malaya won the first edition.
The Thomas Cup is often confused with the Uber Cup, which is the corresponding women’s team championship, and the Sudirman Cup, which is the mixed-team world championship. The Thomas Cup has helped define badminton’s international team identity, because success requires depth across both singles and doubles rather than one individual champion.