.png){kind=small}
Bringing together the 12 best wheelchair basketball teams on earth, the Women's Tournament of Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships kicks off with a Group Stage formed by two groups, each composed of six teams.
The sides will face each other from 9 to 15 September in matches that will decide the eight teams qualified for the quarter-finals. And now it's time to learn a little more about the teams that make up each group, starting with Group A, which consists of Brazil, China, Great Britain, Australia, Spain, and the home team Canada.
Group A
Brazil
Brazil are the most dominant team in South America and are seeking their space in major global competitions. In Ottawa 2026, the team arrives for their fifth consecutive appearance at the World Championships, as candidates to surprise traditional opponents. Brazil carry as their best historical result, a 10th-place finish, achieved on three occasions (2010, 2018 and 2022).
Road to Ottawa 2026
With their historic silver medal at the 2025 Americas Cup, the women from Brazil secured direct qualification for the World Championships, taking the second available spot for the zone.
Player to watch
The 3.5 class, Paola Klokler, is one of the most complete players on the Brazilian roster. She brings a skill set that combines size, ball-handling ability, and scoring. She was Brazil's top scorer in the runner-up campaign at the America's Cup last year, with 15.3 points per game, and was the All Star 3.0/3.5 classes of the competition.
China
Silver medalist in 2002 Dubai World Championships, China continued their high-level of work during the last cycle and emerges as one of the title contenders in Ottawa 2026. In their fifth consecutive appearance at the World Championships, the Chinese are seeking their first trophy in the competition. At zonal level, the Chinese team are the most dominant today, having won every edition of the IWBF Asia Oceania Championship since 2015, with the exception of 2022, when the team did not compete due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, in Bangkok, they were crowned champions by beating Japan in the final.
Road to Ottawa 2026
At the 2025 IWBF Asia Oceania Championship, held in Bangkok, Thailand, China won the tournament title, a result that secured the team a spot from the zone for the Ottawa 2026 World Championships.
Player to watch
At 27 years old, Qiaoling Qiu seems to be reaching her prime with the Chinese national team. She arrives for her second World Championship appearence with the senior team, having also competed in the U25 World Championship in 2023. But now, Qiu takes on a more prominent role in the team, being one of the standouts and top scorer for the team at the 2025 Asia Oceania Championship, with averages of 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game
Great Britain
A reference in European women's wheelchair basketball, Great Britain was the runner-up in the last four editions of the European Championships and are a constant presence at World Championships, having taken part in eight of the nine women's editions ever held in history. Their best result is a runner-up finish, achieved in Hamburg 2018.
Road to Ottawa 2026
Great Britain finished in second place at the 2025 IWBF European Championship – Division A, a placing that guaranteed the team one of the two direct spots of the continent for the Ottawa 2026 World Championships.
Player to watch
In the campaign that ended with the European runner-up finish in 2025, Lucy Robinson was the top scorer for the British team, averaging 11.8 points in just 13.9 minutes per game. Also standing out in the tournament was Joy Haizelden, a class 2.5 athlete who was selected for the All-Star Team of the competition.
Australia
One of the most consistent teams in women's wheelchair basketball, Australia has never missed a World Championships since it started being played in 1990. The country is a three-time medallist, with three bronzes won in the 1994, 1998, and 2002 editions. In Dubai 2022, the Australian Gliders finished in sixth place.
Road to Ottawa 2026
With the third-place finish achieved at the 2025 Asia Oceania Championship, Australia had to seek their spot at the World Championships through the Repechage Tournament, held in June, in Madrid, Spain. There, the Australian Gliders secured one of the four remaining spots on offer after beating Argentina in the decisive clash.
Player to watch
Georgia Munro Cook is the main offensive reference for the Australian national team. With her 19.3 points per game during the Repechage Tournament, the number 8 shirt owner was the one who led the team towards qualification for the World Championships. Another interesting player to keep your eyes on is Ebony Stevenson, who, at just 16, is one of the youngest athlete in the tournament. Even at such a young age, the class 3.0 athlete played an important role in the campaign, averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds, in 23.4 minutes on court per match.
Spain
Three times in a row bronze medallists in the European Championships, Spain is an emerging force in women's wheelchair basketball that still looks for their first podium in the World Championships. In Ottawa, the Spanish are looking to surpass their best historical placing so far, which was seventh place achieved in Hamburg 2018.
Road to Ottawa 2026
The third-place finish at last year's European Championship took Spain to the Repechage Tournament, where the team had the chance to seek one of the last four spots available for Ottawa 2026. Playing at home, in the Spanish capital Madrid, the team completed the job and secured qualification after a comfortable victory over Angola in the decisive clash.
Player to watch
Beatriz Zudaire is the main technical reference for Spain in recent competitions. At the 2025 IWBF European Championship, she was the team's top scorer, with an average of 13.3 points per game, along with 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. At the Repechage Tournament, the BSR Valladolid player had an even better performance and, with averages of 16.5 points and 12.0 assists, Zudaire was elected Tissot MVP for both the 2025 European Championships and 2026 Repechage.
Canada
Playing at home, Canada comes to the Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships with high expectations. Champions in five of the nine World Championship editions held so far, the Canadians are seeking to reclaim the crown in women's wheelchair basketball, which they have not won for 12 years. To do so, they count on the strength of the home crowd, which promises to make noise in the stands at TD Place.
Road to Ottawa 2026
As hosts of the current competition, Canada pre-qualified for Ottawa. In this way, the team competed in the last edition of the America's Cup with some new faces in their squad, resting some of their key veteran players. The third-place finish in the tournament, however, did not affect their plans for the home World Championships.
Player to watch
Some of the great legends of women's wheelchair basketball wear the Canadian jersey. That is the case of the duo Kady Dandeneau and Cindy Ouellet, who are the kind of players you need to watch when you have the chance.
Find all Women’s Group A fixtures, team profiles, full rosters, results and live statistics on the official Ottawa 2026 competition page.
Follow the full Championships through live streaming, schedules, results, standings and tournament updates across the official IWBF website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.
