Huelva 2026: The Spanish Dream Fades As the Badminton Giants Advance

The national delegation says goodbye to the European Championships after the elimination of its men's doubles partners, while the favorites impose their law in Huelva.

The fourth day of the Huelva 2026 Badminton European Championships has been a cold shower for the Spanish fans. The top contenders for the medals have met expectations, advancing steadily in their respective disciplines. However, the dream of glory for the local delegation has completely faded with the farewell of the last two male pairs that represented Spain in the tournament.

The Carolina Marín Palace in Huelva witnessed the helplessness of the couple formed by Jacobo Fernández and Alberto Perals. Faced with the forcefulness of the Danes Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen, top favorites for gold, the Spaniards could do nothing but give up. The final score of 21-16 and 21-14, in just 27 minutes, reflected the superiority of the Nordics and the end of the Spanish journey in this category.

Rubén García and Carlos Piris suffered the same fate. After an outstanding performance in the previous round, the Spanish duo was clearly surpassed by the Danes Daniel Lundgarrd and Mads Vestergaard, fourth seeds. A resounding 21-12 and 21-10 in 31 minutes put an end to their aspirations, leaving Spain without representation in the men's doubles.

In the men's individual draw, the day has confirmed the dominance of the seeds. The Danish Anders Antonsen, two-time European champion and number one in the tournament, demonstrated his strength by defeating the Swiss Tobias Kuenzi with a score of 21-12 and 21-11. His next rival will be the Irish Nhat Nguyen, sixth seed, who in turn beat the Finn Kalle Koljonen 21-19 and 21-13.

The second seed, Frenchman Christo Popov, also sealed his place in the quarterfinals after beating Israeli Daniil Dubovenko 21-9, 21-19. His confrontation will be against the fifth seed, the Dane Ramus Gemke, who had previously eliminated the Spaniard Pablo Abián and who beat the Austrian Collins Valentine Filimon by 21-12 and 21-11.

The French fratricidal duel will take place in the quarterfinals between Alex Lanier, number 3 in the tournament, and Arnaud Merkle, seventh seed. Lanier agreed after beating the Croatian Aria Dinata (21-18 and 21-16), while Merkle needed one hour and 17 minutes, in the longest match of the championship to date, to defeat the Englishman Harry Huang by 20-22, 21-14 and 21-13.

The fourth seed, the Frenchman Toma Junior Popov, continued his path by beating the Polish Dominik Kwinta by 21-18 and 21-15. In the next round he will face the Belgian Julien Caraggi, executioner of the eighth seed, the Dane Magnus Johannesen, in an exciting match that ended 21-17, 14-21 and 21-16.

In the women's singles, the top favorite, the Danish Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt, starred in the most vibrant duel of the day. After a tough battle of one hour and two minutes, and including a comeback, she managed to beat the Bulgarian Kaloyana Nalbantova by 19-21, 21-17 and 21-16. Her next opponent will be her compatriot Amelie Schulz, who defeated the German Miranda Wilson 21-16 and 21-19.

The second seed, the Danish Line Christophersen, fulfilled the predictions by defeating the Swiss Milena Schnider by a clear 21-19 and 21-14. In her fight for a place in the semifinals, she will face the Scottish Kirsty Gilmour, European runner-up in 2025 and known for her previous duels against Carolina Marín. Gilmour eliminated the Bulgarian Stefani Stoeva with a score of 21-12 and 21-18.

The third seed, the Danish Mia Blichfeldt, advanced without major setbacks by beating the Hungarian Vivien Sandorhazi by 21-17 and 21-13. Her opponent in the quarterfinals will be the sixth seed, the Ukrainian Polina Buhrova, who demonstrated her potential by eliminating the Turkish Ozge Bayrak, winner of the Spanish Clara Azurmendi on the previous day, by 21-14 and 21-9.

The Turkish Neslihan Arin, fourth seed, completed the list of contenders by beating the Ukrainian Yevheniia Kantermyr by 21-10 and 21-12. In her quest for the semifinals, she will face the German Yvonne Li, eighth seed, who had to work hard to beat the French Anna Tatranova 21-15 and 21-18.

In the men's doubles, the couples that will compete in the quarterfinals are already known. The English duo Green-Zach Russ gave the surprise by eliminating their compatriots Oliver Butler-Samuel Jones (21-15 and 21-13) and will face the unbeatable numbers 1, the Danes Astrup-Rasmussen.

Lane and Vendy, also English, second in the world ranking, will face the Scottish brothers Christopher and Matthew Grimley. Lane and Vendy obtained their passes after beating the Swiss Orteu and Quang Pham (21-10 and 21-13), while the Grimleys did the same against the Danes Faust and Kjaer (21-17 and 21-13).

The French brothers Christo and Toma Junior Popov, third seeds, ensured their presence in the quarterfinals by winning 21-16 and 21-13 against the Swedes Mio Molin and Max Svensson. In the next round, they will face the Czechs Jiri and Ondrej Král (seventh), who played one of the most disputed matches of the tournament, beating the Germans Jonathan Dresp and Simon Krax by 19-21, 25-23 and 21-11 in one hour and six minutes.

The Germans Geiss and Ralfy Jansen completed the list of men's quarterfinalists by beating the Hungarians Horvath and Kis-Kasza by 21-13 and 21-19. Their challenge will be to face the Danes Lundgaard-Vestergaard.

In the women's doubles, the Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, top favorites, have already secured a place in the semifinals after a resounding 21-13 and 21-7 victory against the Scottish Macpherson and Torrance. Their rivals for a place in the final will be the Ukrainians Buhrova and Kantemyr (third), who beat the English Abbygael Harris and Lizzie Tolman by 21-19 and 21-17.

The other semi-final will be played by the Turkish Ercetin and Inci and the Danish Vang and Werge. The Turks advanced after beating the English Lisa Curtin and Sian Kelly by a double 21-13, while the Danes did the same by 21-10 and 21-12 against their compatriots Laerke Hvid and Anna Klausholm.

In the mixed doubles, the semifinals are already defined. The English Callum Hemming and Estelle Van Leeuwen will face the Danes Jesper Toft and Amalie Magelund.

The British, who in the previous round eliminated the French Gicquel-Delrue, number one seeds, beat the Dutch Brian Wassink and Debora Jille this Thursday by 21-11 and 21-13. For their part, Toft and Magelund, numbers 3 in the European Championship, beat their compatriots Rasmus Espersen and Amalie Cecile Kudsk by 21-14 and 21-15.

The other semifinal will be played by the Germans Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen, fifth seeds, against the Danes Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje, second seeds. The Germans managed to surprise by beating the fourth couple, the Danes Mads Vestergaard and Christine Busch, by 21-18 and 21-13. Meanwhile, Christiansen and Boje defeated the French Julien Maio and Lea Palermo 21-10 and 21-18.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Huelva 2026 Badminton European Championships

Who are the main favorites to win gold in the men's singles?

The main favorites in the men's singles are the Dane Anders Antonsen, the Frenchman Christo Popov and the Frenchman Alex Lanier, among others, who have shown a high level in the previous rounds.

Which Spanish couples were eliminated on the fourth day?

The Spanish couples eliminated on the fourth day were Jacobo Fernández and Alberto Perals, and Rubén García and Carlos Piris, both in the men's doubles category.

What was the longest match played so far in the championship?

The longest match of the European Championship so far was the one between the Frenchman Arnaud Merkle against the Englishman Harry Huang in the men's singles, lasting one hour and 17 minutes.

Who are the favorites in the women's doubles?

The top favorites in the women's doubles are the Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, who have already qualified for the semifinals.

Which countries are dominating the doubles categories?

Denmark, England, France and Germany are showing great dominance in the doubles categories, with several pairs qualifying for the final rounds.

Are there any standout matchups in the mixed doubles semifinals?

Yes, in the mixed doubles semifinals the clashes between the English Hemming-Van Leeuwen against the Danes Toft-Magelund, and the Germans Seidel-Nguyen against the Danes Christiansen-Boje stand out.

When will the semi-finals and finals of the championship be played?

Information on the exact dates of the semi-finals and finals will be updated as the tournament progresses. We recommend you keep an eye on sports news to find out the schedules.