All eyes will be on Axelsen at the Royal Arena as he seeks to defend his title and be crowned world champion for a third time.

Axelsen defeated Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in straight sets to seal top spot in Tokyo - one year after he won Olympic gold in the Japanese capital.

His last experience of a World Championships in Copenhagen was in 2014 when he claimed bronze, but he only has one prize on his mind this week.

"It would be frivolous to say anything other than gold," Axelsen told Danish television channel TV 2.

"Of course I can aim for the gold when you think about how things have gone for the last long while.

"It's not like I'll dig myself completely if I don't win gold.

"These are high demands to make on yourself, but I know I have the opportunity, and I intend to go for it 120 percent."

Up first for Axelsen is Ireland’s world number 37 Nhat Nguyen in the opening round.

"He is a player who has a really reasonable level when things work for him, so I take the task very seriously," said Axelsen.

Anders Antonsen is another Dane that will be hoping to make home advantage count.

The 26-year-old is seeking his first world title having finished runner-up to Japan’s Kento Momota in 2019 and clinched bronze in 2021.

Second seed and Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia was expected to challenge for gold but has decided to withdraw following the death of his mother Lucia Sriati earlier this month.

Other contenders for the title include last year’s runner-up Vitidsarn as well as Japan’s Kodai Naraoka and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie.

Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi has won the past two women’s singles golds and is seeded second behind new world number one An Se-young of South Korea.

An is a bronze medallist at the Olympics but has yet to win a medal at the World Championships.

Spain’s Carolina Marín, the Rio 2016 Olympic champion, triumphed when the BWF’s flagship event last came to Copenhagen nine years ago and will be looking to win a fourth world title and first since 2018.

Reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China will be gunning for her first world crown after falling to Yamaguchi in the final 12 months ago.

India’s Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is another player to watch out for having captured gold four years ago.

A total of 64 players are set to compete across the men’s singles and women’s singles events, while a further 46 have entered the women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions.

Action is due to begin tomorrow and conclude on August 27.