Kuala Lumpur: Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik are preparing to reunite on badminton’s biggest stage, with the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi shaping up as their final major tournament together as a men’s doubles partnership.
The Malaysian pair, who made history by winning the world title in 2022, will return to competition together after spending the past several months playing with different partners as part of Malaysia’s wider men’s doubles reshuffle.
For Aaron, however, the focus is not on sentiment or setting a specific target. He wants to approach the World Championships one match at a time while using the tournament as another important step toward Malaysia’s longer-term preparations for the next Olympic qualification cycle.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik Reunite in New Delhi
Aaron recently competed alongside Aaron Tai, while Soh was paired with Man Wei Chong as national men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi experimented with several new combinations.
Despite spending time apart, Aaron does not believe the temporary separation will create major problems when he reunites with Soh.
The two have spent years developing their understanding, defensive structure and attacking patterns, and Aaron said their familiarity remains intact.
“I think everything is okay because this week we have been training together again and working on our game.”
He added that several months apart should not significantly affect a partnership that has been built over many years of training and international competition.
No Specific World Championships Target for Aaron
Rather than looking too far ahead in the draw, Aaron said he prefers to concentrate on the immediate challenge in front of him.
That means avoiding unnecessary discussion about possible quarterfinal or semifinal opponents and instead preparing carefully for each match as it comes.
It is an approach that has served Aaron and Soh well at major championships in the past, where managing pressure can be just as important as technical preparation.
One Last World Championships Run Together
Herry has described the New Delhi tournament as the final World Championships campaign for Aaron and Soh as a regular partnership.
The Indonesian coach hopes their reunion can provide fresh motivation after both players experienced different responsibilities and playing styles with temporary partners.
Having spent time apart could even give the Malaysians a different perspective when they return to the court together.
“They have been playing with different partners and have been away from each other for some time. Maybe there will be renewed motivation when they come together again for this World Championships.”
Herry said the pair have looked comfortable since resuming training together, which is hardly surprising considering how long they have competed side by side.
His objective is simple: make their latest World Championships appearance together as memorable as possible.
Aaron-Soh Carry Special World Championships History
No discussion about Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at the World Championships is complete without returning to their breakthrough achievement in 2022.
That year, they ended Malaysia’s long wait for a senior badminton world champion by capturing the men’s doubles crown.
They defeated Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in the final, creating one of the most important moments in Malaysian badminton history.
The victory was particularly significant because generations of leading Malaysian players had come close without winning a senior world title.
Aaron and Soh finally broke that barrier and will forever remain the first Malaysians to be crowned badminton world champions.
Herry Iman Pierngadi Knows World Championship Success
There is another interesting connection between Aaron-Soh’s 2022 triumph and their current coach.
When the Malaysians defeated Ahsan and Hendra in that historic final, the Indonesian veterans were among the players who had worked under Herry during his long coaching career.
Herry himself has extensive experience preparing partnerships for major championships, including guiding Ahsan and Hendra during a highly successful era in Indonesian men’s doubles.
That experience gives him a clear understanding of the physical and mental demands required to win a World Championships title.
Aaron-Soh Seeded Fourth in New Delhi
Aaron and Soh enter the World Championships as Malaysia’s highest-seeded men’s doubles pair at No. 4.
Malaysia will also have several other combinations competing in the event, giving the country considerable depth in one of badminton’s most competitive disciplines.
- Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik: No. 4 seeds
- Goh Sze Fei/Nur Izzuddin Rumsani: No. 6 seeds
- Man Wei Chong/Tee Kai Wun: No. 11 seeds
- Wan Arif Wan Junaidi/Yap Roy King: Also representing Malaysia
Favorable Opening Draw for Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik
Aaron and Soh received a first-round bye and will begin their campaign in the second round.
The Malaysians are expected to face the winner of the match involving Germany’s Jonathan Dresp and Simon Krach and Thailand’s Peeratchai Sukphun and Pakkapon Teeratsakul.
On paper, the fourth seeds will be favored to advance, but Aaron is not interested in looking too far ahead.
His attention remains on rediscovering the rhythm that made the partnership one of the world’s leading men’s doubles combinations.
Possible All-Malaysian Clash Later in the Draw
If the draw unfolds as expected, Aaron and Soh could eventually find themselves facing fellow Malaysians Man Wei Chong and Tee Kai Wun.
Such a match would be particularly interesting following Malaysia’s recent doubles reshuffle, which has seen the players spend time in several different combinations.
However, Aaron’s one-match-at-a-time approach means any possible meeting with teammates will only become relevant once both pairs successfully negotiate their earlier rounds.
Why Malaysia Experimented With New Men’s Doubles Partnerships
The temporary separation of Aaron and Soh was part of Herry’s broader effort to identify combinations capable of challenging for major honors in the coming years.
Aaron played alongside the younger Aaron Tai and quickly produced encouraging results, including a run to the Taipei Open final.
Soh, meanwhile, gained a different experience alongside Man Wei Chong.
The experiments allowed Malaysia’s coaching team to evaluate different player characteristics while also creating additional depth within the national men’s doubles program.
The long-term objective is to develop partnerships capable of challenging for medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
World Championships Could Be Fitting Final Chapter
If New Delhi does prove to be Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik’s final World Championships together, few partnerships could enter a farewell event with a more significant legacy.
They have already achieved something no Malaysian badminton players had accomplished before them by becoming world champions.
Now they have an opportunity to return to the same competition four years later and attempt to create one more memorable run.
The circumstances are also different this time. Both players have experienced competing with new partners, and that could give them a refreshed appreciation of the understanding they built together over the years.
New Delhi Ready to Host Badminton World Championships
The World Championships will be staged at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Questions had previously been raised about conditions at the venue following earlier badminton competition there, but organizers have carried out improvement work ahead of the World Championships.
Herry expressed confidence that the organizers and the Badminton World Federation will ensure the venue is properly prepared for the world’s leading players.
For the Malaysians, however, those matters remain secondary to what happens on court.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik Chase One More Memorable World Championships
The 2026 World Championships could represent the closing chapter of one of the most important partnerships in Malaysian badminton history.
Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik have already secured their place in the country’s sporting record books through their historic 2022 triumph.
Four years later, they return to the World Championships under very different circumstances — briefly reunited after Malaysia’s doubles experiments and potentially competing together on the world stage for the final time.
There may be no personal target and no desire to look too far into the draw, but the significance of the occasion is difficult to ignore.
For Malaysian badminton fans, New Delhi offers the chance to watch the country’s first world champions reunite for what could be one final run together — and perhaps one last opportunity to create another unforgettable World Championships moment.
