The qualifying process for the 1990 Thomas Cup took place from 18 to 25 February 1990 to decide the final teams which will play in the final tournament.
Qualification process The qualification process was divided into two regions, the Asian Zone and the European Zone. Seeded teams received a bye into the second round while unseeded teams competed in the first round for a place in the second round. The first two rounds were played in a round-robin format. Teams in the second round competed for a place in the knockout stages. Semi-final winners in each zone were guaranteed qualification for the final tournament to be held in Nagoya and Tokyo while the remaining teams competed in a third place playoff match for a place in the final tournament.
China qualified for the final tournament as defending champions while Japan qualified as hosts.
Qualified teams Country Qualified as Qualified on Final appearance1990 Thomas Cup hosts28 November 19886th 1988 Thomas Cup winners4 June 19885thAsian Zone winners25 February 199013thAsian Zone runners-up25 February 199013th Third place in Asian Zone25 February 19904thEuropean Zone winners25 February 199016thEuropean Zone runners-up25 February 19904th Third place in European Zone25 February 19905th
Asian Zone The qualification rounds for the Asian Zone were held from 18 to 25 February at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sixteen teams took part in qualifying for the final tournament, with Macau making their debut in the tournament.
First round Group A
Group B
Group C
Second round Group X
Group Y
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
Third place
Final
European Zone The European qualifying rounds were held in the St. Martiner Street Sports Hall in Villach, Austria. A record-breaking entry of 28 teams took part in the qualifiers.
First round Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Second round Group W
Group X
Group Y
Group Z
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
Third place
Final
References