Here is what you need to know for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships

OTTAWA – Canada finished on the cusp of the medals at the 2024 Paralympic Games finishing fourth in both men’s and women’s play and are primed to take the next step at the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships which start Wednesday (September 9) and conclude September 19 in Ottawa.

How do I get tickets?

Tickets for the 11-day competition at TD Place can be purchased at TicketMaster.

Individual games

All Access Pass

For the full schedule click HERE

When do the Canadian teams play their first games?

Both Canadian teams open their preliminary rounds on Wednesday (September 9) with back-to-back games at TD Place. The women start against Spain at 4:15 p.m. (all times ET) and the men face Morocco at 7:30 pm.

Games will also be played at Carleton University including Canada’s women’s matches against Australia at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday (September 10) and against Great Britain at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday September 15.

For the full schedule click HERE

All the medal matches are on September 19 at TD Place.

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Which are the best countries in the sport?

In men’s play, at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the U.S. won the gold medal with Great Britain second and Germany third with Canada fourth. At the last world championships in 2022, it was U.S., Great Britain and Iran. Canada was sixth.

On the women’s side, the Netherlands, U.S. and China were 1-2-3 at the 2024 Paralympic Games with Canada fourth.  At the last worlds in 2022, it was Netherlands first, China second and the U.S. third. Canada was fifth.

The Canadian men are looking for a first podium finish at worlds since 2006 while the women were most recently on the podium when they won gold at the 2014 worlds in Toronto.

What happens to schedule with Iran’s withdrawal?

On Sunday, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation announced that Iran has withdrawn from the tournament due to visa issues. Canada and Iran are in the same group in men’s play and were scheduled to meet Saturday. Iran’s games are simply forfeited and there are no changes to the original schedule, therefore the Canadian men won’t play Saturday.

What is the tournament format?

MEN: with the withdrawal of Iran there are now 15 countries in the men’s tournament split into four groups (A, B, C, D). Canada is in Group D with Morocco and Germany. Iran was originally with that group so the three other countries start the tourney with one victory.

Everybody makes the playoffs for a round. The top-ranked team in the preliminaries gets a bye in the round of 16.  For the other 14 teams the top seeds play lower seeds from opposing groups and the winners advance to the quarterfinals while the other seven countries battle for positions nine to 15.

WOMEN: There are 12 countries in the women’s tournament divided into two groups (A and B). Canada is in Group A with Spain, Australia, Great Britain, China and Brazil. The top-four in each group advance to the quarterfinals while the other four battle for positions 9-12.

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Who to watch on Team Canada

For the women, the twin towers Kady Dandeneau and Arinn Young provide the bulk of the scoring. Both were in the top-five point getters at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Cindy Ouellet, a five-time Paralympian, is also a key veteran with superlative skills. Eight of the 12 players competed in Paris.

On the men’s side, there are seven returnees from Paris, including Collin Higgins and Nik Goncin. Watch for young emerging stars Brandon Louie and Ibrahim Odza as they make their worlds debut.

Here is the team announcement.

Not in Ottawa? How do I watch?

CBC’s streaming service CBC Gem will carry all games.

Key websites:

Official site for 2026 World Championships

Wheelchair Basketball Canada

International Wheelchair Basketball Federation