Badminton scoring: the rules and a free score keeper
Badminton uses rally-point scoring: every rally scores a point, whoever served. The score itself is easy. What trips up club umpires and social players is who serves next, from which court, and, in doubles, who stands where. Our free badminton scorer works all of that out on a phone at the side of the court.
Watch: how to play badminton
Points, games and matches
- A match is the best of three games.
- Every rally scores a point. The side that wins the rally adds a point and serves next.
- Under the current Laws a game is played to 21 points. At 20–all a side must lead by two (22–20, 23–21 and so on), and at 29–all the next point wins, so 30 is the most a game can reach.
- The side that wins a game serves first in the next game.
The new 15-point system from January 2027
In April 2026 the Badminton World Federation's members voted to change the official scoring system to three games of 15 points, from 4 January 2027. The rest of the game is unchanged; only the numbers move:
| 21-point games (until 2026) | 15-point games (from 2027) | |
|---|---|---|
| Points to win a game | 21 | 15 |
| Lead by two from | 20–all | 14–all |
| Next point wins at | 29–all (game to 30) | 20–all (game to 21) |
| 60-second interval and change of ends in the deciding game | When the leader reaches 11 | When the leader reaches 8 |
| Between games | Up to 2 minutes | |
Clubs and leagues can of course choose either system for their own events. The app offers 21 points, 15 points, and an 11-point short format (to 15 at most) for social nights and juniors, with one, three or five games.
Serving in singles
- The server serves from the right service court when their own score is even (0, 2, 4…) and from the left when it is odd.
- The serve goes diagonally to the opposite service court.
- If the server wins the rally, they score and serve again from the other court.
- If the receiver wins the rally, they score and become the server, serving from the court that matches their new score.
In singles the serve must land in the long and narrow service court: inside the singles sideline and up to the back boundary line.
Serving in doubles
Doubles follows the same even-right, odd-left rule, but only for the side that is serving, and the players move in a particular way:
- When the serving side wins a rally, they score, and the same player serves again from the other court. The partners swap courts; nobody else moves.
- When the receiving side wins a rally, they score and the serve passes to them. Nobody changes court. Their server is whichever of them is standing in the court that matches their score: the right court if it is even, the left if it is odd.
- The receiver is always the opponent standing diagonally opposite the server.
- At the start of each game, each side chooses who serves or receives first.
In doubles the serve must land in the short and wide service court: up to the doubles sideline, but not beyond the doubles long service line, 76 cm in front of the back line. Once the rally is under way the whole doubles court is in play.
A worked doubles example
Lerato and Johan play Ayanda and Mia. Lerato wins the toss and serves first from the right court; Ayanda receives in the right court opposite, so Johan starts on the left and Mia on the left.
| Rally won by | Score (server's side first) | Next server and court | Receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lerato & Johan | 1–0 | Lerato again, now from the left (she swaps with Johan) | Mia |
| Ayanda & Mia | "Service over, 1–1" | Mia: their score is odd and she is in the left court | Lerato |
| Ayanda & Mia | 2–1 | Mia again, now from the right (she swaps with Ayanda) | Johan |
| Lerato & Johan | "Service over, 2–2" | Johan: their score is even and he is in the right court | Mia |
| Lerato & Johan | 3–2 | Johan again, from the left | Ayanda |
Over a game the serve passes around all four players in turn: the first server, the first receiver's partner, the first server's partner, the first receiver, and back to the first server. The app shows who serves, who receives and which player stands in each court after every rally, and offers a Swap button at the start of each game so a side can choose its server or receiver.
Intervals and changing ends
- A 60-second interval when the leading score reaches 11 in each game (8 in 15-point games).
- Up to 2 minutes between games.
- The players change ends after the first game, after the second game if there is a third, and in the third game when the leading side reaches 11 (or 8).
The app reminds you of each interval and change of ends at the right moment.
Faults: what loses the rally
| Situation | Result | In the app |
|---|---|---|
| The serve is hit above 1.15 m from the court, the server or receiver moves their feet, or the serve lands outside the service court | Service fault: the receiving side wins the rally | Tap the receiving side |
| The shuttle lands outside the lines, fails to cross the net, or hits the ceiling, a wall or a person | Fault by the player who hit it | Tap the other side |
| A player touches the net with their racket, body or clothing while the shuttle is in play | Fault | Tap the other side |
| A player reaches over the net to hit the shuttle before it crosses (following through after hitting it on your own side is fine) | Fault | Tap the other side |
| The shuttle is hit twice in a row by the same player, or by both partners one after the other, or is caught and slung | Fault | Tap the other side |
| A player obstructs or deliberately distracts an opponent | Fault | Tap the other side |
A shuttle that lands on the line is in: the lines are part of the court they enclose. A serve that clips the net and still lands in the right service court is good, and play continues.
Lets: the rally is replayed
A let means the rally doesn't count and the same server serves again from the same court. Typical lets are: the server serves before the receiver is ready, the server and receiver both fault at the same time, the shuttle gets caught on top of or in the net after passing over, the shuttle's base and feathers separate, or something unexpected happens, such as a shuttle from the next court landing on yours. On a let, tap nothing in the app.
The calls that cause the most arguments
- "We served from the wrong court." If someone serves or receives out of turn or from the wrong court, the error is corrected when it is noticed and the score stands. Nobody loses points for it.
- "It was on the line." On the line is in. In social play without line judges, each side calls the lines on its own half of the court.
- "My racket only touched the net after the shuttle was dead." Once the shuttle has hit the floor, the rally is over and touching the net no longer matters.
- "The serve was too high." Under the Laws the whole shuttle must be below 1.15 m when it is struck. At club level, the old rule of "below the server's waist" is often used instead.
- "Who serves in doubles?" Look at the serving side's score: even means the player in the right court, odd means the player in the left. The app shows it for you.
Badminton in South Africa
Badminton is played at clubs, schools, universities and community halls across South Africa, from weekly social evenings to provincial leagues and national ranking tournaments. A club night is easy to run with our free tournament manager: a round robin or groups and a knockout, with every place played off if you like. Link the evenings into a series to keep a season ranking.
Scorer's checklist
- Agree the format before the warm-up: 21 or 15 points, best of three.
- Toss and enter who serves first (in doubles, also who receives first).
- Call the server's score first, every rally. Say "Service over" when the serve changes sides.
- On a let, tap nothing; the same server serves again.
- Call the interval at 11 (or 8), time 60 seconds, and in the deciding game remind the players to change ends.
- After the last rally, read out the game scores, for example "21–17, 18–21, 21–19", and save the result.
Glossary
- Rally point: every rally scores a point, whoever served.
- Service over: the receiving side won the rally, so the serve passes to them.
- Setting: the extension of a game at 20–all (or 14–all) until a side leads by two, up to the maximum.
- Short service line: the line 1.98 m from the net; a serve must pass it.
- Doubles long service line: the line 76 cm inside the back boundary; a doubles serve must not land beyond it.
- Let: the rally is replayed with no point scored.
- Shuttle (shuttlecock): feathered or nylon, with a cork or synthetic base.
How to use the badminton scorer
- Choose singles or doubles, enter the names, and pick the points per game and number of games.
- Select who serves first (and, in doubles, who receives first).
- Tap the side that wins each rally. The server, the service court, the doubles positions, game and match points, intervals and changes of ends update automatically.
- Use Undo if you tap the wrong side. In doubles, use Swap at the start of a game if a side wants a different server or receiver.
- The finished match is saved under My results and can be shared. In a tournament, enter the match code and the result goes straight into the draw.
These notes summarise the BWF Laws of Badminton for club play. For tournaments, follow the current Laws and your event's regulations.