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Between 9 and 19 September, Canada’s capital will host the year’s most anticipated event in wheelchair basketball – the Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships.
Organised by the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), in partnership with Wheelchair Basketball Canada, the competition will take place at two important venues in Ottawa: The Arena at TD Place and Carleton University.
The competition brings together 336 athletes representing 28 national teams—16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams—from around the world. The teams secured their places on wheelchair basketball’s biggest stage through lengthy continental campaigns and repechage tournaments, which determined the final four qualifiers for each tournament.
In the first stage of the Women's Tournament, the teams have been drawn into two groups of six. The group phase matches begin on 9 September and run until 15 September. The top four finishers from each group advance to the quarter-finals.
Group A comprises Brazil, China, Great Britain, Australia, Spain and Canada. Group B is made up of the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Algeria, Germany and France.
For the Men's Tournament, four groups of four teams were drawn. The first-phase fixtures will take place between 9 and 13 September. The positions achieved by the teams in this stage determine the crossovers for the round of 16.
Group A features the United States, Italy, Brazil and the Netherlands. Group B includes Australia, Great Britain, Turkey and Argentina. Group C is composed of Spain, Japan, Poland and Colombia. Group D is formed by Morocco, Germany, Iran and Canada.
Schedules, Results, Live Statistics, Standings and Leaders
Live scores and comprehensive tournament information will be available throughout the Championships. The dedicated competition pages will provide the full schedule, results, live statistics, group standings, box scores and individual player leaders - including points, rebounds and assists - as well as team profiles and full player rosters.
- Men’s Schedule, Results, Live Statistics, Standings, Leaders and Team Rosters
- Women’s Schedule, Results, Live Statistics, Standings, Leaders and Team Rosters
This is the first time Ottawa hosts the IWBF World Championships, and the fourth time Canada will stage an edition of the competition. Previously, Halifax, in 1983, and Edmonton in 1994, welcomed the Men's World Championship, while Toronto, in 2014, was the city that hosted the Women's World Championship.
And the event's impact promises to extend far beyond the courts. The organisers expect to generate more than 25 million dollars for the local economy and to welcome around 100,000 spectators over the 11 days of competition.
At the same time, activities focused on accessibility, youth engagement and the celebration of diversity are being prepared, turning the tournament into a cultural and social experience that resonates with the entire Ottawa community and with international visitors.
All games from the Championships will be streamed live, allowing fans around the world to follow the action on the official IWBF and Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube channels.
Tickets for the matches are available on the official competition website via the link ottawa2026.ca/#ticket-info.
Byline: Victor Gonzalez
