Amid Recent Setbacks, Badminton Star Sounds Alarm on Rival Ahead of 2026 European Championships
January 16, 2026, New Delhi, New Delhi, India: FranceÃââ s Christo Popov 5 plays against IndonesiaÃââ s Jonatan Christie 3 during their MenÃââ s Singles Quarterfinal match at the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2026, part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750, held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India, on January 16, 2026. New Delhi India - ZUMAm184 20260116_zip_m184_133 Copyright: xAnkitxRoyxMajumderx
January 16, 2026, New Delhi, New Delhi, India: FranceÃââ s Christo Popov 5 plays against IndonesiaÃââ s Jonatan Christie 3 during their MenÃââ s Singles Quarterfinal match at the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2026, part of the HSBC BWF World Tour Super 750, held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, India, on January 16, 2026. New Delhi India - ZUMAm184 20260116_zip_m184_133 Copyright: xAnkitxRoyxMajumderx
France’s Christo Popov believes his country can finally beat Denmark’s strong run in Europe.
The 23-year-old World Tour Finals champion has big goals. A few weeks ago, he lost to Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie at the India Open quarterfinals, straight games. The scores were close, but he lost the key points.
Still, he’s confident France is the favorite for this week’s European Men’s and Women’s Team Championships.
The tournament started on February 11, 2026, in Istanbul, Turkey. There are eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams battling it out until February 15 to see who’s the best in Europe.
Denmark comes in as the top seed again. The team has won all nine editions since 2006 and has stayed unbeaten for almost 20 years.
But Popov believes they are not unbeatable. "From my point of view, we are the favourites, and I think they are going to be the team that is feeling the pressure, because they are the champions, reigning champions for many years," Popov told Badminton Europe on February 10.
France’s Young Team Takes on Denmark’s Long Reign
The French star is still confident after a tough loss. At the India Open in January, Jonatan Christie beat him 21-19, 21-19 in the quarterfinals. Popov played well in both games but lost the important points.
That loss came after the biggest win of his career. He won the 2025 World Tour Finals in Hangzhou and became the first French player to win the year-end title. France has brought a strong team to Istanbul.
France’s team is young but strong. Besides Christo, his brother Toma Junior Popov is on the squad. Toma won men’s doubles gold at the 2025 European Championships. Alex Lanier, the 2025 European singles champ, is also there.
They have made it to the European Mixed Team Championship finals three times in a row from 2021 to 2025. But Denmark shut them out all three times, winning 3-0 each time.
"Since I was very young, I have been watching the French team, and every time Denmark was closing the gates and winning," Popov said.
Five days. One question. Will Denmark stay on top, or will France finally end their run?
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Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Oajaswini Prabhu