Para sport update: Heartbreaking loss for Canada at wheelchair rugby world championships

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Canada was outscored by three points in the third quarter and that was the difference in a 49-48 loss to Brazil on Tuesday night at the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Championships.

National team rookie Austin MacLellan of Fredericton, the first ever national team player from New Brunswick, led the Canadian attack with 16 tries. Veteran Cody Caldwell of Peterborough, Ont., added 12, Anthony Létouneau of Boisbriand, Que., nine while Matt Debly of Windsor, Ont., and Travis Murao of Toronto added three apiece.

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The Canadians, with four newcomers in the line-up for these worlds,  led 27-26 at the half but in the third, the Brazilians outscored Canada 13-10.

‘’Overall we played a very strong game,’’ said Canada’s head coach Trevor Hirschfield of Parksville, B.C., a five-time Paralympian. ‘’We can see the things we’ve been working on are effective.  We’re growing as a team and there’s a lot we can take from this.’’

Sixth-seeded Canada, now 0-2 after an opening day loss to Australia, plays the four-time world champions and third-seed USA on Wednesday at 4:30 pm. ET

The Americans and Australia lead Group A at 2-0 while Brazil and the Netherlands are 1-1. Great Britain leads Group B at 2-0.

You can watch the World Championship live on the WWR YouTube channel

Team Canada set to participate at Nations Cup

Team Canada will continue its preparations for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, with both the Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) and Senior Women’s National Team (SWNT) set to compete at the Nations Cup in Cologne, Germany.

The SWNT will face Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands, beginning Thursday, August 20. The SMNT will compete against Great Britain, Germany and Spain as both squads gain valuable international competition ahead of the World Championships, which take place September 9–19 in Ottawa.

“Participation at the Nations Cup allows our athletes to continue building team chemistry, both on and off the court, as we prepare for the World Championships,” said Jeff Dunbrack, Wheelchair Basketball Canada High Performance Director. “These games will provide our athletes and staff with an important opportunity to gain additional game experience together and fine-tune our preparations for Ottawa.”

Click HERE for schedules and roster

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