The Egypt national badminton team (Arabic: منتخب مصر لكرة الريشة) represents Egypt in international badminton team competitions.[1][2] The team is controlled by the Egyptian Badminton Federation, the governing body for badminton in Egypt.
The team was formed in 1991 after the formation of the Egyptian Badminton Federation.[3] In the team's early years, they frequently participated in Arab regional tournaments such as the Arab Games (then called the Pan Arab Games) and the Arab Badminton Championships.
Egypt first qualified for the Sudirman Cup in 2021 after the team won the 2021 African Mixed Team Championships. The team made their first appearance at the Uber Cup in 2020 after winning the African Women's Team Championships for the first time in 2020. The men's team have yet to qualify for the Thomas Cup.
In the 1999 Arab Games, the team won their first international team medal, which was a bronze in the men's team event.[4] In 2004, the team finished fourth at 2004 Arab Games men's team event. The team won another bronze at the 2007 Arab Games. In 2008, the team entered the semi-finals of the 2008 Thomas Cup Preliminaries but lost 3–1 to Nigeria.[5] In the 2010 Thomas Cup Preliminaries, the team lost 3–2 to Mauritius in the semi-finals.[6] In 2012, the team lost 3–0 to Nigeria at the 2012 Thomas Cup Preliminaries.
In the 2020 All Africa Men's Team Championships, the team lost in the semi-finals to Mauritius 3–0. In the 2022 All Africa Men's Team Championships in Kampala, the team almost qualified for their first Thomas Cup but lost 3–0 to rivals Algeria.[7] In the 2024 All Africa Men's Team Championships, the team lost 3–2 to Nigeria in the semi-finals.
The Egyptian women's team finished in 5th place at the 1999 Arab Games. In 2004, the women's team emerged as champions at the Arab Games after defeating Jordan, Syria and Algeria in the round robin tournament.[8] At the 2016 African Women's Team Championships, Egypt finished as runners-up after losing 3–0 to Mauritius in the final.[9]
The Egyptian women's team won the 2020 All Africa Men's and Women's Team Badminton Championships in the women's team event. This qualified Egypt for the Uber Cup for the first time. The women's team made their debut in the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup finals and was placed into Group C with South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Tahiti. The team was placed 3rd in the group after defeating Tahiti in the tie and was placed 9th on the final rankings.
The team won their second African title in 2024 and qualified for their second appearance at the Uber Cup. In the 2022 Uber Cup, the team were placed into Group C with Thailand, Denmark and Malaysia. The team placed 4th in the group and did not advance to the quarter-finals. In 2024, the team suffered shocking defeats when they lost to both Uganda and Nigeria 4–1 on home soil and failed to advance to the semi-finals for the first time.[10]
Egypt first competed in the African Mixed Team Championships in 2000 but did not advance to the knockout stage. At the 2009 African Mixed Team Championships in Nairobi, the team reached the semi-finals for the first time but lost 3–0 to Seychelles.[11] The team reached the semi-finals for a second consecutive time in 2011 but lost 3–1 to Nigeria.[12]
In 2017, Egypt emerged as African Mixed Team Champions for the first time when the team defeated South Africa 3–1 in the final.[13] The team had a hard task overcoming Nigeria 3–2 in the semi-finals. In 2021, Egypt won the African Mixed Team Championships for the second time after defeating Algeria 4–1 in the final. With this result, the team qualified for their first ever Sudirman Cup.[14] In the 2021 Sudirman Cup, the team were drawn into Group D with Japan, Malaysia and England. The team finished last in the group and placed 15th on the overall rankings.
In 2023, the team qualified for the Sudirman Cup for a second time after defeating Mauritius 3–2 in the African Mixed Team Championships final.[15] The team were placed in Group A with Denmark, Singapore and hosts China. The team placed 16th on the overall rankings.