Who serves next in doubles?

The badminton doubles serving rules come down to two sentences from the BWF Laws of Badminton (Law 11). First: the serving side serves from the right service court when its score is even and from the left when it is odd. Second: the players on a side only change service courts when they win a point while serving. Everything else, including who serves after a change of serve, falls out of those two rules.

Who serves in badminton doubles?

Each side has one serve at a time. Under rally scoring there is no “second server” and no “service over”: the serve simply goes to whichever side won the last rally.

• Your side wins a rally while serving: you score, the same player serves again, and the server and partner swap courts. So the server alternates right, left, right as the points come.
• Your side wins a rally while receiving: you score and win the serve, but nobody moves. The server is whichever of you is standing in the court that matches your new score: right if it is even, left if it is odd.
• The receiver is always the opponent standing diagonally opposite the server. Only that player may return the serve.

That is why the server is not simply “the other one this time”. If your partner served last and you won the serve back on an even score, the player in the right court serves, and that may well be your partner again.

Badminton doubles rotation, step by step

Here is the start of a game where Team A (Ana and Ali) serve first and Ben receives for Team B (Ben and Bea):

Enter the same names in the tool above and press the buttons in the same order (A, B, B, A, A) to watch each step on the court. The log under the controls explains every change.

Badminton doubles rules for service: the details

Start of each game

The side that won the previous game serves first, from the right court (0 is even). Either player of the winning side may serve first, and either player of the losing side may receive first, so pairs can choose a new starting formation each game.

Doubles service court is short and wide

A doubles serve must land between the short service line and the doubles long service line, which is 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) inside the back boundary line, and inside the outer (doubles) sideline. After the serve, the whole doubles court is in. The doubles rules page covers the court lines, and serve rules covers the height limit and service faults.

Serving out of turn

If someone serves out of turn, from the wrong court, or the wrong player receives, the BWF Laws say the mistake is corrected when it is discovered and the score stands. In club play it is easiest to agree the positions before every serve, which is exactly what the tool helps you practise.

Does 15-point scoring change the serving order?

No. The BWF's 3×15 format (games to 15, in force from 4 January 2027) changes the game length, the deuce (a two-point lead from 14-all, capped at 21) and moves the interval to 8 points, but the even-right, odd-left rule and who serves after each rally stay exactly the same. Switch the tool above to 15 points to try it, and see badminton scoring for both systems side by side.

How to remember the serving order

• “Even right, odd left” for the serving side's score. Say the score before serving, server's score first.
• Win on serve: swap. Win on receive: stay. If you only remember one thing, remember this.
• Check the receiver: they stand diagonally opposite. If the wrong person is crouched to receive, someone has lost track.
• Practise it. Use Quiz mode above until you can answer without thinking, then try the badminton rules quiz.

For a full match with doubles rotation built in, use the badminton score keeper: it shows the server, court and receiver before every rally. Positioning after the serve is a different question, covered in doubles strategy, and the scoring itself in how badminton scoring works.