The greatest badminton players in the world are set to return to the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships at Utilita Arena Birmingham from Wednesday 16 March to Sunday 20 March.

And in huge news for the tournament, making her comeback from injury in the women’s singles, will be Carolina Marin (Spain) - Olympic and three-time World Champion, and former All England title holder.

Olympic Champion Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) and Kento Momota (Japan) both return in the men’s singles, with the men’s doubles hosting two pairs of Indonesian greats with Kevin Sukamuljo / Marcus Gideon and Hendra Setiawan/Mohammad Ahsan all fighting for the title.

In the mixed doubles, Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand), ranked first in the world ranking, will both be looking to add a further trophy to their growing list of titles while Marcus Ellis / Lauren Smith will be aiming to win on home soil.

The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is the world’s oldest and most prestigious badminton tournament.

Played annually, it developed after the success of the world’s first open tournament held in Guildford in 1898. The tournament was successfully organised in April 4, 1899, however only three categories (Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles) were originally staged. Both Men’s and Women’s Singles were added the following year.

The first two tournaments were named “Badminton Association Tournament” and it was eventually considered (especially after the first Thomas Cup series in 1949) the unofficial World Badminton Championships until 1977 when the International Badminton Federation launched its official championships. The Championships have only ever been halted twice: during World War I from 1915 to 1919 and World War II from 1940 to 1946.

With 155 matches and over 50 hours of live badminton to enjoy, the 2022 YONEX All England will serve up five days of world class action in front of a proud and passionate international audience in Birmingham.

For tickets, click here.