Kuala Lumpur: Will Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik reunite permanently after their impressive run to the 2026 BWF World Championships final?
For now, Malaysian badminton fans will have to wait.
Malaysia’s national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky said the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will only decide the long-term future of Aaron and Soh after the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, despite the former world champions proving in New Delhi that they remain capable of challenging the very best men’s doubles pairs in badminton.
The world No. 4 Malaysians reunited for the World Championships after being temporarily separated during the national team’s men’s doubles reshuffle. They responded by reaching the final and securing a silver medal, eventually losing 17-21, 16-21 to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
The result has inevitably raised a major question: should Aaron and Soh simply be restored as a permanent partnership for the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games?
Decision on Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik to Wait Until After Asian Games
Rexy is not ready to make that call yet.
Malaysia intends to continue its men’s doubles restructuring through the Asian Games before determining whether Aaron and Soh should return to competing regularly as a pair.
“Whether Aaron and Wooi Yik will be paired together again will be decided after the Asian Games.”
The Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4 and should provide another important test for the experimental Malaysian combinations.
Until then, BAM appears determined to continue gathering evidence rather than allowing one tournament — even a World Championships silver-medal campaign — to immediately change its longer-term strategy.
Aaron Chia to Continue With Tee Kai Wun at Asian Games
As part of that plan, Aaron is still expected to compete alongside Tee Kai Wun at the Asian Games.
The partnership will be closely watched because the tournament should feature several of the strongest men’s doubles combinations in world badminton.
Among the leading pairs expected to compete are South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae, Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri, newly crowned world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang of China, India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Malaysia’s professional combination Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani.
That level of competition should give Malaysia’s coaching staff a much clearer indication of whether Aaron-Tee can develop into a combination capable of challenging consistently for major titles.
Aaron-Soh World Championships Reunion Exceeded Expectations
The debate over Aaron and Soh’s future intensified because of how successfully they reunited in New Delhi.
National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi began experimenting with different partnerships earlier in the season, temporarily breaking up several established combinations.
Aaron was paired with rising youngster Aaron Tai, while Soh competed alongside Man Wei Chong.
The new combinations were tested across events including the Japan Open, China Open, Taipei Open and Korea Masters.
Aaron and Soh were then brought back together for the World Championships.
Despite spending time apart, they quickly rediscovered the understanding that had previously carried them to some of the biggest achievements in Malaysian badminton.
Aaron-Soh Reach Another World Championships Final
The Malaysians did not merely produce a respectable reunion. They went all the way to the championship match.
Their most significant victory came in the semifinals against South Korea’s world No. 1 and defending champions Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae.
Aaron and Soh delivered one of their strongest performances of the tournament to beat the Korean top seeds 21-17, 21-18 in 43 minutes.
- Winners: Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia
- Defeated: Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae of South Korea
- Score: 21-17, 21-18
- Round: 2026 BWF World Championships semifinal
Defeating the world’s top-ranked pair in straight games provided powerful evidence that Aaron and Soh remain an elite combination despite their temporary separation.
Liang Wei Keng-Wang Chang Deny Aaron-Soh Second World Title
The Malaysians were unable to repeat their 2022 World Championships triumph in Sunday’s final.
China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang produced the stronger performance and defeated Aaron and Soh 21-17, 21-16 to capture their first men’s doubles world title.
- World champions: Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang of China
- Runners-up: Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia
- Score: 21-17, 21-16
- Event: 2026 BWF World Championships men’s doubles final
Rexy felt the Malaysians were particularly affected by Wang Chang’s effectiveness at the front of the court, where the Chinese pair were able to create more attacking opportunities.
But he stressed that the defeat should not overshadow Aaron and Soh’s overall performance in New Delhi.
“Aaron and Wooi Yik showed their quality in New Delhi. They were separated and then reunited for the World Championships, and their performance was very good.”
Rexy added that the final was simply not Aaron and Soh’s best day and credited Liang and Wang for producing the better badminton when the world title was on the line.
Aaron-Soh Now Own Gold, Silver and Bronze at World Championships
The silver medal further strengthened Aaron and Soh’s impressive record at badminton’s biggest individual championship.
They made history in Tokyo in 2022 when they became Malaysia’s first senior badminton world champions.
They followed that triumph with a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships before returning to the final in New Delhi this year.
- 2022 World Championships: Gold medal
- 2023 World Championships: Bronze medal
- 2026 World Championships: Silver medal
Aaron and Soh therefore now own a complete collection of World Championships medals — gold, silver and bronze.
More importantly for BAM’s future planning, they continue to show an ability to deliver at major championships.
World Championships Performance Strengthens Case for Permanent Reunion
Before New Delhi, the case for Malaysia’s men’s doubles experiment was relatively straightforward.
Herry wanted to explore whether different player combinations could provide stronger options for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The World Championships have complicated that equation.
Aaron and Soh were separated, returned to each other after only a short period apart and immediately reached another major final.
That suggests the chemistry developed over years together remains intact.
It also means any new partnership involving Aaron or Soh will inevitably be measured against a combination that has already won a world title, reached another World Championships final and defeated the current world No. 1 pair.
Why BAM May Still Continue the Men’s Doubles Experiment
There are still reasons for Malaysia not to rush the decision.
The objective of the reshuffle is not simply to identify which pair is strongest in 2026. The coaching team is trying to determine which combinations can peak when the Los Angeles Olympics arrive in 2028.
New partnerships need time to develop their rotations, communication, attacking structure and defensive understanding.
The experiment also gives Malaysia an opportunity to evaluate younger players and potentially create greater depth across the entire men’s doubles program.
For that reason, Herry’s restructuring plan is expected to continue through the latter part of the season, potentially until December.
Asian Games Could Be Critical Test for Aaron Chia-Tee Kai Wun
The Asian Games could become one of the most important tests in determining what happens next.
Aaron and Tee will be measured against an elite Asian men’s doubles field rather than simply against lower-ranked World Tour opponents.
If the new combination can challenge pairs such as Kim-Seo, Liang-Wang and Satwiksairaj-Chirag, the coaching staff will have a stronger argument for continuing with the restructuring.
If Aaron-Tee and Malaysia’s other experimental combinations struggle, however, the case for restoring Aaron-Soh permanently could become much stronger.
A Proven Partnership Versus the Potential of New Combinations
BAM now faces an interesting choice between proven performance and future potential.
Aaron and Soh already possess something the newly created combinations cannot immediately reproduce: years of experience competing together under enormous pressure.
They know each other’s positioning, tendencies and decision-making, and they have repeatedly demonstrated that understanding at major championships.
New combinations may eventually develop an even higher ceiling, but that remains an expectation rather than a proven result.
Aaron and Soh’s record, on the other hand, is already established.
Could Aaron-Soh Still Be Malaysia’s Best Pair for Los Angeles 2028?
The ultimate objective behind all of these decisions is the 2028 Olympic Games.
Malaysia continues searching for the badminton combination capable of delivering the country’s long-awaited Olympic gold medal.
Aaron and Soh have already experienced the pressure of the Olympic Games and the World Championships, and their record shows that they are capable of producing their best badminton on the biggest stages.
The question facing BAM is whether separating that proven combination can produce something even stronger.
New Delhi has raised the standard required to answer that question.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik Permanent Reunion Now Difficult to Ignore
The World Championships did not produce the second world title Aaron and Soh wanted, but reaching the final may have changed the conversation surrounding their future.
Before the tournament, much of the attention was on whether they could still perform effectively after being separated.
They answered that emphatically.
Aaron and Soh reached the final, defeated the defending world champions and added another medal to one of the strongest World Championships records ever achieved by a Malaysian men’s doubles partnership.
The pressure now shifts toward Malaysia’s experimental combinations.
If those partnerships can produce similar or better results, BAM will have justification for continuing down a new path.
If they cannot, permanently reuniting Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik for the road toward Los Angeles 2028 may become increasingly difficult to resist.
For now, the decision remains on hold. The Asian Games could provide the evidence that finally determines whether Malaysia’s former world champions become a regular partnership once again.
