In 1964, 26 national teams divided in 4 zones (Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Pan America) competed for the right to challenge the champion Indonesia for the Thomas Cup. Until this year, the Pan American zone had been basically a dual meet between Canada and the United States which had always been won by the latter. This time 2 more American teams; Mexico and Jamaica, joined the competition. In addition, Japan was included to compete in this zone.[1] For a more detailed description of the Thomas Cup format see Wikipedia's general article on the Thomas Cup.