The Australia national badminton team, also known as The Falcons,[2] represents
Australia in international
badminton team competitions. The team is controlled by
Badminton Australia, the leading authority for
badminton in the country. The team's history dates back to 1900, with the establishment of
Badminton Australia in 1932 leading to the formation of the national team. The Falcons made their international debut in the
1955 Thomas Cup.
The team has had some success in regional competitions, particularly the
Oceania Mixed Team Championships, where they have been crowned champions multiple times. Despite their regional success, the team has yet to reach the semifinals in global competitions such as the
Thomas Cup,
Uber Cup, and the
Sudirman Cup. The team's highest global ranking to date is 16th, achieved on 5 October 2017. As of 2 January 2024, the team is ranked 18th in the world.
History
Australia's badminton history first began in 1900, when the sport was played and was considered a popular pastime for church groups which played the game in church halls. In 1932,
Badminton Australia was established which led to the formation of the national team. Nicknamed the Falcons,[3] the Australian team made their international team debut when the men's team competed in the
1955 Thomas Cup.
Men's team
Australia qualified for their first
Thomas Cup in 1955 after defeating
New Zealand 7–2 in the Australasian zone qualifiers.[4] The team then lost 9–0 to
Denmark in the inter-zone playoffs.[5] In the
1961 Thomas Cup, the Australian team failed to advance further after losing the first round to
Thailand.[4]
After 49 years, Australia qualified for the
Thomas Cup once again in 2010 after being crowned champions at the
2010 Oceania Men's Team Championships.[6][7] The team were eliminated in the group stages after losing to
Indonesia and
India in Group D.[8] The team failed to qualify for the next two editions of the championships but returned to the
2018 Thomas Cup. The team lost all their matches in Group A against
China,
France and
India.[9][10]
In 2020, the team qualified for the
2020 Thomas Cup but withdrew from the competition due to travel costs and quarantine restrictions in the country.[11][12] The team were then replaced by
Tahiti.[13]
Women's team
The Australian women's team made their
Uber Cup debut in
1975 after defeating
New Zealand. The team missed their chances of entering the second round after losing narrowly to
Canada.[14]
The Australian mixed team first competed in the
1982 Commonwealth Games. The team won third place after winning against
New Zealand in the bronze-medal tie. The team won third place for a second time in 1986 after a close battle against
Scotland. In 1989, the team competed in the inaugural edition of the
Sudirman Cup. The team lost 4–1 to
Scotland but managed to win 3–2 against
Germany and
Poland to claim 16th place in the final standings.[15] The team won the first two Oceania Mixed Team Championships in 1999 and 2002. The team won every mixed team title in the 2010s.[16]