BWF World Tour Prize Money in 2021

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With sporting events having returned to full swing in 2021, the best shuttlers on the planet duked it out once more on the World Tour. The best of the best won gold, silver, and bronze medals, then made their way to the banks to cash in their Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour prize money checks. How much did the best and brightest in the game take home in 2021?

In 2021, the BWF announced a $1.5 million prize pot for its World Tour Final. Just below the World Tour Final (or level 1 tournament) are the level 2 Super 1000 tournaments that award winners a whopping $850,000. Meanwhile, Super 750 and Super 500 winners bagged $600,000 and $320,000, respectively. Also, those who took first place in the 2021 Super 300 tournaments brought home $140,000.

With prize money like this, it’s no wonder the World Tour brings out the best in many a shuttler looking for fame and riches on the court. Join me as we look at the BWF World Tour prize money in 2021!

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BWF World Tour Tournaments and Prize Money in 2021

If you compare the 2019 BWF World Tour prize money to the money awarded in 2021, you’ll notice one striking difference. You’ll find that the 2021 World Tour prize money took a huge nosedive. While we’ve got many factors to blame, we can attribute this to one thing — the COVID-19 Pandemic.

If you’ll remember, 2020 wasn’t the best time to be a badminton fan (or a fan of any sport, for that matter). As lockdowns followed after March 2020, sporting events decreased — and so did sponsor activity and interest.

Fortunately, badminton came out of “hibernation” by early 2021. While this meant badminton events returned to how they were pre-COVID, even the biggest sponsors and the BWF were still hurting from the economic effects brought by the lockdowns.

The pandemic caused the BWF World Tour prize money to drop significantly, except for the prize money for the World Tour Final which remained at $1.5 million in 2021.

For more on how much money tournaments awarded World Tour winners that year, check out the table below:

LevelCategory2021 Minimum Prize MoneyNumber of Tournaments
1World Tour Finals$1,500,0001
2Super 1000$850,0006
3Super 750$600,0005
4Super 500$320,0007
5Super 300$140,00011
6Super 100$75,0008

2021 World Tour Tournaments and Sponsors

The BWF is in charge of putting every badminton tournament together. However, when money is on the line, you’ll need sponsors to foot the bill.

When it came to footing the bill in 2021, big brands like Yonex and Victor never disappoint. We’ve also got sponsors from non-badminton industries like HSBC, Toyota, Daihatsu, and many others to thank for the action that came out in 2021.

Without further ado, here are the 2021 tournaments, the World Tour prize money for each, and the generous sponsors who supplied the “extrinsic motivation” for each tournament.

Let’s kick off the list with the level 1, 2, and 3 tournaments!

Level2021 Tournament2021 Prize MoneySponsor
12021 World Tour Finals$1,500,000HSBC
22021 Thailand Open$1,000,000Yonex
22021 Thailand Open$1,000,000Toyota
22021 All England Open Badminton Championships$850,000Yonex
22021 China Open (canceled)$1,100,000Victor
22021 Denmark Open$850,000Victor
22021 Indonesia Open$850,000SimInvest
32021 Malaysia Open$600,000Celcom Axiata
32021 Japan Open (Canceled)$750,000Yonex and Daihatsu
32021 French Open$600,000Yonex
32021 Fuzhou China Open$750,000None
32021 Indonesia Masters$600,000Daihatsu

Sadly, many Super 500 and Super 300 tournaments were canceled in 2021. Nevertheless, winners could have gone home with massive amounts of money had the events taken place.

Below are the level 4 and 5 tournaments, the prize money for each, and who sponsored each tournament in 2021.

LevelTournament2021 Prize MoneySponsor
42021 Malaysia Masters (Canceled)$400,000Perodua
42021 India Open (Canceled)$400,000Yonex
42021 Singapore Open (Canceled)$320,000None
42021 Thailand Open (Canceled)$400,000Toyota
42021 Korea Open (Canceled)$320,000None
42021 Hylo Open$320,000Hylo
42021 Hong Kong Open (Canceled)$400,000Yonex
52021 Thailand Masters (Canceled)$200,000Princess Sirivannavari
52021 Swiss Open$140,000Yonex
52021 German Open (Canceled)$140,000Yonex
52021 New Zealand Open (Canceled)$200,000Barfoot and Thompson
52021 Australia Open (Canceled)$200,000Crown Group
52021 Spain Masters$140,000None
52021 Korea Masters (Canceled)$200,000None
52021 U.S. Open (Canceled)$200,000None
52021 Taipei Open (Canceled)$500,000Yonex
52021 India International (Canceled)$200,000Syed Modi
5Macau Open (Canceled)$200,000None

Of course, let’s not forget the Super 100 tournaments. While they’re not technically part of the World Tour, these tournaments confer ranking points to qualify for World Tour tournaments.

Unfortunately, like level 4 and 5 tournaments, Super 100 tournaments were canceled in 2021. Here’s how much each would have paid winners had these events pushed through.

LevelTournamentPrize MoneySponsor
6Lingshui China Masters 2021 (Canceled)$100,000None
6Orleans Masters 2021$75,000None
6Canada Open 2021(Canceled)$100,000Yonex
6Russian Open 2021(Canceled)$100,000None
6Akita Masters 2021(Canceled)$100,000Yonex
6Hyderabad Open 2021(Canceled)$100,000None
6Vietnam Open 2021(Canceled)$100,000Yonex
62021 Indonesia Masters (Canceled)$90,000None

What’s the Prize Money for the 2021 BWF World Championships?

The 2021 BWF World Championships did not have any prize money. The players are there to compete for glory and to be called World Champions!

What’s the Prize Money for Olympics in Badminton?

The Olympic committee does not pay out prize money for any sports. However, some countries have “bounties” on medals that can pay out quite well. See the Incentives for Olympic medalists by country Wikipedia post for the numbers.

What Is the BWF World Tour Final?

All tournaments in the World Tour lead to the grand finale of the year — the BWF World Tour Final!

The World Tour Final is the year-end culmination of all the action on the World Tour. In the Final, the top eight players from every badminton discipline come together to battle it out for maximum bragging rights, fame, and a seven-digit payout.

Often taking place in December, the World Tour is where names are made. It’s the event to beat all other events in terms of spectacle and excitement in the ever-competitive BWF World Tour.

The Most Prestigious World Tour Tournament: The All England Open

Many tournaments make up the World Tour. However, when it comes to pure prestige and history, none will come close to All-England Open Badminton Championships!

Dating back to 1899, the All England Open holds a rich heritage spanning over a century. It’s the oldest badminton tournament in the world, steeped in history and revered by players and fans alike.

With such a remarkable legacy, it has earned its place as the ultimate showcase of badminton supremacy. However, it’s not just its heritage that makes it the spectacle that it is. The All England Open is known for its trademark challenging format that requires players to exhibit unparalleled skill, unwavering focus, and nerves of steel.

The best of the best gather here, fully aware that victory at this prestigious event cements their legacy and places them among badminton’s immortals.

Badminton Action Returned in 2021 — And So Did the BWF World Tour Prize Money!

Big payouts awaited the best shuttlers on the World Tour. Despite the lower amounts, players still treated us to the non-stop, edge-of-your-seat badminton action we enjoyed before the pandemic.

Yes, the money in 2021 was less, but there was no shortage of action!


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