West Midlands ready to spring into busy month hosting huge sporting events

Throughout March, the West Midlands will be the backdrop as the world’s best badminton and kabaddi players will compete in arenas across the region, plus an estimated television audience reach of hundreds of millions of people.

The 2025 Kabaddi World Cup will take place between March 17 and 23 at venues in Wolverhampton and Walsall, as well as further afield in Birmingham and Coventry, while Birmingham will also the All England Open Badminton Championships between March 11 and 16 at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham);  are 

Both events, as well as a massive e-sports competition in Solihull called Game On Birmingham, are anticipated to bring £5.8 million in economic impact for the West Midlands.

Joel Lavery, Strategic Lead for Major Sporting Events, West Midlands Growth Company, said: “The Commonwealth Games Legacy Fund has provided us with a platform to stage major events, which align with our values and celebrate and showcase the West Midlands.

“From hosting global sport conferences like SportAccord to innovative formats such as FISE Xperience, these prestigious events have given us the opportunity to show domestic and international audiences that this region loves its sport and has the passion, infrastructure and track record to create unforgettable sporting memories.

“March promises to be a momentous month for sport in the West Midlands, with three major events in quick succession. 

"Global audiences will visit or tune in to see a region, which is not only at the heart of sport in the UK, but committed to attracting youthful, inclusive and diverse sporting events. 

"These tournaments will help to raise the region’s profile and deliver real economic and social benefits for the West Midlands.”

The Kabaddi World Cup will see 16 men’s and eight women’s teams from countries including India, China, USA and England compete in the West Midlands, the first time the competition has been hosted outside Asia. 

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Resident Services, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming men’s and women’s teams from around the globe and to hosting the finals, semi-finals and group stages in our city.

“Events of this scale bring direct and indirect economic benefit, and it once again shows what a great sporting city Wolverhampton is. The tournament will put the region firmly on the map as a destination of choice.”

The All England Open Badminton Championships is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious tournaments, with some of the globe’s most impressive athletes competing across five different disciplines for the chance to be crowned champion. 

The event is an international festival of badminton and described as the “Wimbledon of the shuttlecock world”, with players from nations including China, India, Japan and Malaysia descending on Birmingham, which has hosted the tournament since 1994.

Councillor John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Birmingham is a city of passionate and knowledgeable sports fans and it's a major coup for us to once again host the All England Open, the world’s biggest and best badminton tournament.

“Throw in the Kabaddi World Cup and ‘Game On Birmingham’ and March promises to be another exciting sporting month here in Birmingham and across the West Midlands.”

For more information about the region’s sporting offer, go to the Meet Birmingham website.