Lee Chong Wei retired in 2019 and left a gap that Malaysian badminton has been trying to fill ever since.
The pressure is real, as no Malaysian player has won an Olympic gold medal in badminton, and the nation’s most passionate sport still waits for its defining next chapter.
But if you’ve been watching the junior and emerging senior ranks closely, there’s genuine reason for excitement. A new generation is coming through, and some of them are doing it faster than expected.
These are the Malaysian junior badminton players to watch in 2026 and beyond.
Justin Hoh Shou Wei: The Men’s Singles Hope
If there is one name that Malaysian badminton fans are pinning their singles hopes on, it’s Justin Hoh Shou Wei.
Born in Kuala Lumpur in 2004, Hoh started playing at age seven and has cited Lee Chong Wei as his idol from the very beginning. “One day I want to be a legend like him,” he said in an interview with Olympics.com, and based on his trajectory, it’s not an empty ambition.
Hoh’s junior career was exceptional. At just 15, he won the Badminton Asia Under-17 Junior Championships in 2019, and within a week had also claimed a doubles title in Bangladesh.
He went on to win four senior titles in a single season in 2022, including the Bonn International and Croatia Open.
By November 2025, he had climbed to a career-high world ranking of 36, which makes him Malaysia’s third-ranked men’s singles player.
His 2026 Thomas Cup campaign showed both his potential and where he still needs to grow. He lost to world No. 7 Li Shifeng in the quarter-finals, going down 14-21, 13-21, which was a result he called a valuable learning experience.
That honesty and hunger are exactly the qualities that make him worth watching. Hoh is not yet at the very top, but he is moving in the right direction with every tournament.
Badminton in Malaysia: One of the most popular sports to watch and bet on online
Unlike European-dominated sports where local bettors solely focus on overseas football leagues, badminton allows Malaysian fans to wager on homegrown athletes competing at the absolute highest levels of global tournaments like the Malaysia Open, All England Open, and the Thomas Cup.
What makes badminton betting uniquely explosive in the region is the lightning-fast, high-octane nature of the game itself. Because rallies are short, scoring is rapid, and momentum can swing on a single point, the sport is a perfect match for live, in-play betting.
Local bettors heavily target dynamic live markets, such as predicting point-by-point outcomes, individual game handicaps, and total match points.
Players often utilize offshore platforms via cryptocurrency or secure e-wallets to bypass local banking restrictions. BK8 Malaysia is one of the most popular sportsbooks in Malaysia for badminton betting.
This combination of fierce national pride and a fast-paced game structure has secured badminton’s spot alongside football as the top driver of sports wagering across the country.
Low Zi Yu & Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan: The Women’s Doubles Sensation
The most exciting story in Malaysian badminton right now isn’t a singles player — it’s a doubles pairing that almost nobody outside the sport had heard of twelve months ago.
Low Zi Yu (born 2010, now 15) and Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan (19) have announced themselves to the world in the most convincing way possible.
At the 2026 Uber Cup in Horsens, Denmark, the pair — world junior silver medallists — shocked world No. 7 Japanese pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-17, 12-21, 21-19 in a thrilling 64-minute match.
They also rescued Malaysia against Turkiye with a composed 21-18, 21-19 win in the deciding rubber, when the pressure was at its highest. National doubles head coach Rosman Razak said he wants them to “stay humble and follow the process”, but he has made no secret of his belief that they can become world-class players.
What makes this pair special is their composure under pressure. Noraqilah said before their Japan match: “I just told Zi Yu not to stress and just play what we are able to.”
At 15 and 19, playing in their first major senior team championship, that’s a mindset that is very hard to teach.
Ong Xin Yee: Women’s Doubles Depth and Potential
While Zi Yu and Noraqilah grab the headlines, Ong Xin Yee is quietly building a compelling career of her own.
Currently partnering Carmen Ting and ranked world No. 22 as a pair, Xin Yee is part of a growing generation of Malaysian women’s doubles talent that is giving coaches genuine options for the first time in years.
In 2024, she claimed a double at the PETRONAS National Under-18 Championships — both singles and doubles — before stepping up to compete against world-class opposition at the Malaysia Open and Malaysian Masters.
National coach Rosman Razak has praised the pair for their fighting spirit, and their Uber Cup performances further cemented their status as future stars. She is still developing, but the direction is clearly upward.
How to Watch Malaysian Badminton Juniors in 2026?
To watch Malaysia’s top badminton juniors in 2026, your best free options are official digital platforms, but mobile betting apps like the BK8 app will stream almost all badminton games legally for free within the app.
To access their livestream section, you only need to register as a user. Major global events like the BWF World Junior Championships are streamed live on the BWF TV YouTube channel.
For regional Asian junior tournaments, the Badminton Asia YouTube channel and Facebook page regularly host free multi-court streams.
For grassroots local tournaments and national selection trials happening inside the country, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) frequently broadcasts live directly from the Academy Badminton Malaysia via their official Facebook and YouTube pages.
If you prefer premium, high-definition television coverage with local commentary, premium tournaments are broadcasted on Astro Arena and can be streamed via the Astro GO or Sooka apps.
Why This Generation Is Different
Malaysia has historically produced outstanding junior doubles players, and the country owns a record eight Boys’ Doubles gold medals at the BWF World Junior Championships.
The challenge has always been converting that junior brilliance into senior results and Olympic medals.
What feels different about this current generation is the depth across multiple disciplines simultaneously, and the speed at which players like Zi Yu are arriving on the senior stage.
National doubles director Rexy Mainaky has said the growing depth will put Malaysia in a stronger position for the next Uber Cup in Jakarta.
With Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah leading the senior women’s doubles ranks at world No. 2, and Zi Yu-Noraqilah coming through fast behind them, Malaysia’s women’s doubles pipeline looks healthier than it has in years.
The next Malaysian badminton legend is out there. It might be Justin Hoh earning his first World Tour title, or Low Zi Yu becoming the youngest player ever to reach a BWF finals.
Either way, the next chapter of Malaysian badminton is already being written, and it’s worth paying close attention.
