Shi and Shetty faced each other in this season's Badminton Asia Championships final, which the People's Republic of China shuttler won. It was the only title of the year so far for the World No. 1, who heads into the championships far from his usual form.
An Se Young won the title in 2023, but if she is to repeat that feat, she will have to come through a quarter that includes tough opposition such as Denmark's Mia Blichfeldt, fifth seed Han Yue of China, and her Republic of Korea compatriot Kim Gaeun.
New Delhi will host the 30th edition of the BWF World Championships from 17-23 August 2026 in the Indira Gandhi Stadium. This will be only the second time India hosts the prestigious event, the first being in Hyderabad in 2009.
Second seed Yamaguchi Akane will come up against Nguyen Thuy Linh in the first round, while third seed Wang Zhi Yi will come face-to-face with Beiwen Zhang.
Danish World No. 3 Anders Antonsen will face Dicky Dwi Pangestu, while the 2021 men's champion Loh Kean Yew drew Brian Yang, and 2023 runner-up Naraoka Kodai faces Chi Yu Jen.
Loh could potentially run into Victor Lai in the third round. The Canadian beat Loh in the quarter-finals at last year's championships on his way to Canada's first-ever World Championships medal (bronze), and in just 12 months, he has climbed no less than 43 spots in the world rankings from world number 50 to seven.
Both singles events feature 64 players each, while the three doubles events involve 48 pairs, meaning all 16 seeds receive a first-round bye in those events.