.png){kind=small}
Italy or Australia - one of these two national teams will be crowned champions of the Ottawa 2026 Men’s World Championship.
The two sides secured their places in the title game after winning thrilling semi-finals on Thursday, 17 September. They will meet in the final on Saturday at 16:45 at TD Place.
Australia were the first team to book their place, defeating Germany 84–83 in an overtime thriller. The teams were tied at 75–75 at the end of regulation before the dramatic finish unfolded in the extra period.
With 13 seconds remaining in overtime, Australia trailed by three points at 83–80. Tristan Knowles converted a lay-up following an assist from Tom O’Neill-Thorne to reduce the deficit to one.
Germany head coach Jan Haller then called a timeout, but from the resulting inbound, Jaylen Brown stole the ball from Aliaksandr Halouski and raced down the open court to score the go-ahead lay-up.
Germany had one final opportunity, but Australia’s defence forced a rushed three-point attempt that struck the backboard, sealing a dramatic victory for the Rollers.
Brown, who scored the decisive basket, was also the standout performer of the game, finishing with 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Halouski led Germany with 26 points.
The victory sends Australia into their third World Championship final and gives them the opportunity to reclaim the title they last won in 2014. Germany will face defending champions Great Britain in the bronze-medal game.
Italy reach historic first final
Italy made history by defeating Great Britain 63–59 to reach the World Championship final for the first time.
Their place in the title game marks another chapter in a remarkable campaign for the Azzurri, who have produced some of the tournament’s most eye-catching performances.
However, their semi-final victory did not come without drama. Italy fell 14 points behind during the second quarter but fought back to level the game midway through the third.
The comeback was led by Giulio Maria Papi, who scored eight of his 14 points during a six-minute spell in the third quarter.
With just 40 seconds remaining, the score was tied at 59–59. Papi then put Italy ahead, and the Azzurri held on to complete their historic victory.
Filippo Carossino led Italy with 23 points, while Papi added 14. Ben Fox was Great Britain’s leading scorer with 14 points.
In the day’s two men’s 9th–12th-place classification games, the Netherlands defeated Argentina 65–46, powered by a triple-double from Robin Poggenwisch, who finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists.
Colombia overcame Brazil 64–56, with Jhon Hernández contributing 19 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists.
The Netherlands and Colombia will meet for ninth place on Friday at 14:30 at TD Place, while Argentina and Brazil will contest 11th place at 14:45 at Carleton University.
Results – 17 September
Men’s tournament
- Colombia 64–56 Brazil — 9th–12th place
- Netherlands 65–46 Argentina — 9th–12th place
- Australia 84–83 Germany — Semi-final
- Italy 63–59 Great Britain — Semi-final
Women’s tournament
- Germany 37–64 China — 5th–8th place
- Spain 67–46 Japan — 5th–8th place
- Great Britain 71–61 USA — Semi-final
- France 79–42 Algeria — 11th place
- Brazil 59–52 Australia — 9th place
- Canada 85–73 Netherlands — Semi-final
Schedule - 18 September
Men’s Competition
14:30 — Netherlands vs Colombia, TD Place — 9th place
14:45 — Argentina vs Brazil, Carleton University — 11th place
16:45 — Poland vs Spain, TD Place — 7th place
19:00 — USA vs Japan, TD Place — 5th place
Women's Competition
- 17:00 — Germany vs Japan, Carleton University — 7th place
- 19:15 — Spain vs China, Carleton University — 5th place
Medal Games – 19 September
Men’s Competition
- 10:00 — Germany vs Great Britain, TD Place — Bronze-medal game
- 16:45 — Australia vs Italy, TD Place — Gold-medal game
Women’s Competition
- 12:15 — Netherlands vs Great Britain, TD Place — Bronze-medal game
- 14:30 — USA vs Canada, TD Place — Gold-medal game
The Closing Ceremony will begin at 19:15 at TD Place.
The full schedule, results, team rosters and live statistics are available through the official Ottawa 2026 competition pages. All Round of 16 games can also be watched live on the IWBF and Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube channels.
