🏸 2026 results
Every 2026 result we record for Kodai Naraoka, tournament by tournament. Tournament names link to our summary page for that event (draw, the other Japanese entries, and how to follow the broadcast). Scores are written from Naraoka's point of view.
76th All Japan Corporate Team Championships
All Japan Corporate Team Championships・Fukaya, Saitama, Japan
🆕NTT East reached the semi-finals, where Naraoka was named at third singles. 🔴BIPROGY took the tie 3-0, so the rubber was never played and he has no score at this event. The rules say a tie is stopped as soon as one team has won three of the five rubbers, and third singles is last in the order. Our tournament page counted 127 of the 435 rubbers in the knockout stage as never played, and this is one of them. ⚠️We write only what the official order sheets show; no reason for a player not appearing is published and we do not guess at one.
Daihatsu Japan Open
Super 750・Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Beat LIN Chun-Yi (TPE) 21-17, 21-19, then Panitchaphon TEERARATSAKUL (THA) 10-21, 21-16, 21-16 and Alwi FARHAN (INA) 21-18, 20-22, 21-18 — two three-game wins in a row. Lost the semi-final to Christo POPOV (FRA) 14-21, 11-21.
China Open
Super 1000・Changzhou, China
Beat NG Ka Long Angus (HKG) 21-15, 21-16, then lost to CHOU Tien Chen (TPE) 13-21, 15-21 on 23 July. Every Japanese men's singles player was out by the end of that day.
BWF World Championships 2026
World Championships・New Delhi, India
Seeded 10 — the only seeded Japanese man in the draw. Beat CHI Yu Jen (TPE) 21-16, 7-21, 21-12; Harry HUANG (ENG) 21-16, 21-14; then 8th seed LI Shi Feng (CHN) 13-21, 23-21, 21-11 from a game down; 4th seed Anders ANTONSEN (DEN) 21-19, 21-15; and 6th seed CHOU Tien Chen (TPE) 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 — three seeds beaten in a row. Lost the final to Alex LANIER (FRA, 9th seed) 11-21, 11-21. His second world silver after Copenhagen 2023.
China Masters
Super 750・Shenzhen, China
Seeded 8. He beat LI Shi Feng (CHN) 21-18, 21-7 in the first round on 2 September — the player he came back to beat in the third round of the World Championships — then Brian YANG (CAN) 21-16, 21-11 in the second round on 3 September. In the quarter-final on 4 September he lost 10-21, 14-21 to 2nd seed Christo POPOV (FRA) and went out in the last eight. Both games ended in double figures against him, and it was a second straight defeat by the same player after the Japan Open semi-final in July (14-21, 11-21 to Popov).
Asian Games 2026
Asian Games・Ichinomiya, Aichi, Japan
Named in the 10-man squad announced on 19 May 2026, entered in both the individual and the team event. He took bronze in men's singles at the previous edition (Hangzhou 2022, held in 2023).
Scores are written from Kodai Naraoka's point of view (his score first). Only matches completed by 6 September 2026 are listed. Matches in progress are not listed.
🔥 Worlds 2026: seven days
The clearest way to read Naraoka's 2026 World Championships is by seedings. He came in as the 10th seed — the only seeded Japanese man in the draw — and then beat a higher seed on three consecutive days.
- 20 Aug, round of 16 — LI Shi Feng (CHN, 8th seed) 13-21, 23-21, 21-11. Eight points down in the opener, he took the second game 23-21 and the match turned.
- 21 Aug, quarter-final — Anders ANTONSEN (DEN, 4th seed) 21-19, 21-15 in straight games.
- 22 Aug, semi-final — CHOU Tien Chen (TPE, 6th seed) 17-21, 21-11, 21-10, taking the last two games by ten points each.
Naraoka had lost to Chou 13-21, 15-21 in the second round of the China Open five weeks earlier — that reversal is the story of Naraoka's summer.
🏆 Career highlights
- 2026 — BWF World Championships — runner-up (silver)
23 August, New Delhi. Lost the final to Alex LANIER (FRA) 11-21, 11-21, having entered as the 10th seed. - 2025 — All Japan Championships — champion
Men's singles at the 79th edition, December 2025. Akane Yamaguchi won the women's singles at the same event. - 2025 — Kumamoto Masters Japan — champion (Super 500)
On his official Nippon Badminton Association page he names winning "a tour title and the All Japan" as the best thing about his 2025. - 2023 — BWF World Championships — runner-up (silver)
Copenhagen. Lost the final to Kunlavut VITIDSARN (THA) 21-19, 18-21, 7-21. - 2023 — Asian Games — men's singles bronze
The 19th Games (Hangzhou 2022, held in 2023). He booked his semi-final place on 5 October by beating NG Tze Yong (MAS) 22-20, 21-15. Badminton has no third-place play-off, so reaching the semi-finals secures a medal.
📅 What's next
At the China Masters 2026 (Super 750, Shenzhen, 1–6 September) he was the 8th seed and went out in the quarter-finals on 4 September. He beat LI Shi Feng (CHN) 21-18, 21-7 in the first round and Brian YANG (CAN) 21-16, 21-11 in the second, both in straight games, then lost 10-21, 14-21 to 2nd seed Christo POPOV (FRA).
After that come the 2026 Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Aichi (20–29 September), where he is named in Japan's squad for both the individual and the team event.
🗓️October in Europe: He is in the Japan squad the Nippon Badminton Association named on 11 September 2026 for the Denmark Open 2026 (13–18 October, Denmark, Super 750) and the French Open 2026 (20–25 October, France, Super 750), in men's singles. The final field and the draw are fixed by BWF.
⚠️ Beyond that, entries are not known until each draw is published. We do not guess who will play. Linked pages are in Japanese.
👤 Profile
| Name | Kodai Naraoka (奈良岡功大) |
|---|---|
| Event | Men's singles |
| Team | NTT East (Tokyo) |
| Born | 30 June 2001 |
| From | Aomori Prefecture, Japan (Nihon University) |
| Height | 173cm |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| World ranking | World No. 7 as of 15 September 2026 77,540 points from 19 counted events. A week earlier, on 8 September 2026, he was also No. 7 with the same points, from 20 counted events. Career high World No. 2, dated 12 December 2023. World rankings are updated every week, so this is a dated record, not a current figure. Check the BWF website for the latest list. |
Source — Nippon Badminton Association national team page (in Japanese). This profile only uses what the association publishes officially. We do not write about injuries, health or private life.
🔍 Keep your own scoresheet
Top-level matches read differently once you can see where the momentum turned. In the round of 16 above, 13-21, 23-21, 21-11 says that once he edged the second game 23-21, the third was a ten-point win.
Badsheet records your own matches point by point, builds an official-style scoresheet and charts win rate and shot placement.
🔗 Related pages
The pages below are written in Japanese, except the ones marked EN.
- BWF World Championships 2026 — 17–23 August, New Delhi. Full medallists and every Japanese result.
- China Masters 2026 — 1–6 September, Shenzhen (Super 750). Naraoka is the 8th seed.
- Daihatsu Japan Open 2026 — 14–19 July, Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Super 750). Naraoka reached the semi-finals.
- China Open 2026 — 21–26 July, Changzhou (Super 1000).
- Akane Yamaguchi — 2026 results EN — The other Japanese silver medallist at the 2026 World Championships.
- Kenta Nishimoto — 2026 results EN — World No. 27 as of 8 September 2026. Unseeded, he beat the 5th seed in the first round of the 2026 World Championships.
- Anders Antonsen — 2026 results EN — Denmark, World No. 4 as of 15 September 2026. Naraoka beat him 21-19, 21-15 in the World Championships quarter-final.
- Li Shifeng — 2026 results EN — Naraoka beat him twice: 13-21, 23-21, 21-11 in round three of the World Championships and 21-18, 21-7 in round one of the China Masters.
- Chou Tien-chen — 2026 results EN — Naraoka lost to him 13-21, 15-21 in round two of the 2026 China Open, then won 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 in the World Championships semi-final.
- Alex Lanier — 2026 results EN — The 9th seed from France. Naraoka lost the 2026 World Championships final to him 11-21, 11-21.
- Christo Popov — 2026 results EN — Naraoka lost to him twice: 14-21, 11-21 in the Japan Open semi-final and 10-21, 14-21 in the China Masters quarter-final.
- Player pages on this site EN — Every 2026 player page we publish.
- Asian Games 2026 badminton — 20–29 September, Ichinomiya, Aichi.
- Badminton tournament hub — Every tournament page on this site.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Who does Kodai Naraoka play for?
NTT East (Tokyo). The Nippon Badminton Association lists him on its national team page as a singles player for NTT East / Tokyo. He was born on 30 June 2001, is 173cm tall, plays right-handed, comes from Aomori Prefecture and went to Nihon University. This profile only uses information the Nippon Badminton Association publishes officially.
What is Kodai Naraoka's world ranking?
World No. 7 in men's singles as of 15 September 2026, with 77,540 points from 19 counted events. A week earlier, on 8 September 2026, he was also No. 7 with the same points, from 20 counted events. The official BWF ranking (Week 38) and the specialist outlet Badminton Spirit's list dated 15 September agree on the place, the points and the number of counted events. His career high is World No. 2, dated 12 December 2023. World rankings are updated every week, so please read this as a dated record rather than a current figure, and check the BWF website for the latest list.
Did Kodai Naraoka win the 2026 World Championships?
No — he finished second and took silver. He lost the final on 23 August 2026 to Alex Lanier (FRA, 9th seed) 11-21, 11-21. It was his second world silver after Copenhagen 2023. On the way to that final he beat 8th seed Li Shi Feng (CHN) 13-21, 23-21, 21-11, 4th seed Anders Antonsen (DEN) 21-19, 21-15 and 6th seed Chou Tien Chen (TPE) 17-21, 21-11, 21-10 — three higher seeds on three consecutive days.
What are Kodai Naraoka's 2026 results so far?
In the events we record: semi-finals at the Daihatsu Japan Open (Super 750, Tokyo) in July, round of 16 at the China Open (Super 1000, Changzhou) in July, and runner-up at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi in August. At the China Masters 2026 (Super 750, Shenzhen) he was seeded 8th and reached the quarter-finals: he beat Li Shi Feng (CHN) 21-18, 21-7 on 2 September and Brian Yang (CAN) 21-16, 21-11 on 3 September, then lost 10-21, 14-21 to 2nd seed Christo Popov (FRA) on 4 September.
What is Kodai Naraoka playing next?
His most recent event was the China Masters 2026 (Super 750, Shenzhen, 1–6 September), where he was the 8th seed and lost 10-21, 14-21 to 2nd seed Christo Popov (FRA) in the quarter-final on 4 September. Next come the 2026 Asian Games in Ichinomiya, Aichi, from 20 to 29 September, where he is one of the ten men named in Japan's squad on 19 May 2026 and is entered for both the individual and the team event. In October he is in the squad the Nippon Badminton Association named on 11 September 2026 for the Denmark Open 2026 (13–18 October) and the French Open 2026 (20–25 October). Please check the organisers and BWF for confirmed entries and draws.
Where can I watch Kodai Naraoka play?
Broadcast and streaming differ from tournament to tournament, and Japanese rights are usually announced only shortly before each event. Each of our tournament pages explains how to check for that event. We do not state broadcast details that have not been confirmed — please check the tournament's own site and BWF.
📮 Corrections and removal. This is an unofficial summary built from published information. If anything here is factually wrong, or if the player or their team would like this page taken down, please contact us and we will correct or remove it promptly. We do not publish anything about injuries, health or private life.
Last updated . Sources — the Nippon Badminton Association national team page, match results recorded on our own tournament pages (each confirmed against two sources), and the BWF World Ranking as of 15 September 2026. Japanese version: https://takeorilab.ybcjr.com/senshu/naraoka-kodai/