Badminton · Rules explained
What happens at 20-20 in badminton, and the 30-point cap
At 20-all in badminton, reaching 21 is no longer enough: the game carries on until one side leads by 2, so it ends 22-20, 23-21 and so on. If the score reaches 29-all, the next point wins the game 30-29, so no game goes past 30 points.
Why doesn't 21-20 win a badminton game?
Because a game needs a lead of 2 points as well as 21 points. The Laws of Badminton say that if the score becomes 20-all, the side that first gains a 2-point lead wins the game. Players often call 20-all "deuce"; the Laws simply state the 2-point rule.
So 21-20 is a game point, not a win. The leader wins at 22-20. If the other side levels at 21-all, play goes on to 23-21, and so on.
Every way a close game can end
| Score | What happens |
|---|---|
| 20-all | Play on. The first side to lead by 2 wins. |
| 21-20 | Game point. A 1-point lead is not enough. |
| 22-20, 23-21 and so on, up to 29-27 | Game over: a 2-point lead |
| 30-28 | Game over: a 2-point lead, reaching the cap |
| 29-all | The next point wins the game. |
| 30-29 | Game over at the cap, with a 1-point lead |
What is the 30-point rule in badminton?
The 30-point cap stops a close game from running on forever. At 29-all, the side that scores the 30th point wins the game, even though it leads by only 1. That makes 30-29 the only score that wins a 21-point game by a single point, and it means a game can never last more than 59 points.
Here is a game from 27-all, with a game point for each side before the cap decides it:
| Rally | Won by | Score | Games won (scores) | Serving next | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blues | 28–27 | 0–0 | Blues | Blues lead 28-27 with a game point. |
| 2 | Reds | 28–28 | 0–0 | Reds | 28-all. Still no winner: nobody leads by 2. |
| 3 | Reds | 28–29 | 0–0 | Reds | Reds lead 29-28 with a game point. |
| 4 | Blues | 29–29 | 0–0 | Blues | 29-all. The next rally takes one side to 30, which ends the game. |
| 5 | Blues | Game to Blues | 1–0 (30–29) | Blues | Blues score the 30th point and win the game 30-29, the only way to win a 21-point game by a single point. |
Scored point by point by the same scoring rules the app uses.
Does the 30-point cap apply in the third game?
Yes. The deciding game is played to the same 21 points and 30-point cap as the first two, and there is no tiebreak game. The one addition in game 3 is a change of ends when a side first reaches 11. So at 29-all in the third game of a best-of-3 match, the next rally wins the match.
What was setting in badminton?
Setting was the old way of handling a tied game near the end, in the side-out system used until 2006. Under that system games went to 15 (11 in women's singles), and only the serving side could score. When the score was tied late in a game, the side that had reached the tied score first could choose to set the game, extending it past 15 (or 11), or decline and keep the normal target. It was a player's decision, so two games tied at the same score could end at different totals.
Today there is nothing to decide. From 20-all, play always continues until one side leads by 2 or reaches 30. The 3x15 system that starts on 4 January 2027 keeps the same rule at smaller numbers: extra points from 14-all and a cap of 21.
How the app handles it
The app applies both rules by default: games go to 21, won by 2, and at 29-29 the next point wins the game 30-29, in every game including the third. With the 3x15 option the cap becomes 21, so 20-20 is settled by the next point. The app does not show a deuce label at 20-all, and you cannot turn off win by 2 or choose a different cap.
Questions
Can a badminton game go past 30 points?
No. The cap is 30: at 29-all the next point wins, so a game can finish 30-28 or 30-29 but never go higher.
Can you win a badminton game by 1 point?
Only at the cap. In 21-point games that means 30-29; under 3x15 scoring it means 21-20. Every other game needs a 2-point lead.
Who serves at 20-all in badminton?
The side that won the last rally, which is the side that has just levelled the score. Its score is 20, an even number, so it serves from the right service court, diagonally across to the opponent in their right court.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
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