It’s a classic: Canada-USA final a dream match-up for women’s wheelchair basketball world championships final in Ottawa on Saturday

OTTAWA – Wake up, Canada!

Particularly those in the Ottawa-Gatineau National Capital Region. It’s time to wear the patriotic colours as Canada takes on the United States for a world title on home soil.

Canada and the U.S. will meet for all the marbles at the 2026 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships on Saturday, September 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET at the 8,800-seat TD Place Arena in Ottawa. FOR TICKETS CLICK HERE

It’s been 10 days of outstanding competition at the men’s and women’s world championships, and now it reaches its crescendo with a Canada-U.S. final.

“Lots of things are cooking for us right now,” said Canada’s scoring sensation Arinn Young of Legal, Alta., after Canada knocked off reigning Paralympic champions the Netherlands 85-73 on Thursday night in the women’s semifinal.

“It’s going to be a great final and I’m just looking forward to playing it.”

The United States, as in the able-bodied version of the sport, is the team everyone wants to beat, whether it’s in a world championship final or a friendly in Tulsa, Okla.

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Canada’s last medal in women’s competition at the world championships was gold in 2014 in Toronto. The Americans are looking for their first women’s world title since 2010.

At the world’s Canada and the U.S. have not faced each other since 2018 when Canada beat the Americans for fifth place. Their last encounter at the Paralympics was in 2020, a game won by the Americans. At the Parapan Am Games, Canada beat the U.S. in the 2019 final but the tables were turned in 2023.

For Young, simply reaching the final shows how far the Canadian team has come since finishing fourth at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

“To be able to come back in these bigger moments and be able to get the win is big for us,” she said. “The semifinals have been our biggest hurdle the last few years. The improvement from Paris to now is just a crazy significant step for us.”

Young says Canada’s success this week has also been about winning the psychological battles, not just the ones on the court. That work will continue through Friday’s day off.

“I’m just so incredibly grateful for this experience and playing with this group,” she said. “We’re not really focusing on any outcomes. It’s kind of by the minute – get some rest and recovery, work on your mental health.”

There is one big, interesting statistic heading into the final: Canada has never lost to the U.S. in a world championship final.

In fact, Canada defeated its southern neighbours in four consecutive finals: 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006.

“It’s a unique chance to play a final in front of my family,” Élodie Tessier told Sportcom. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

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