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The ball will go up in Suphan Buri, Thailand, for seven nations seeking the final tickets to the 2026 Men's World Championship in Ottawa, Canada. From 8–11 June, the 2026 IWBF Men’s Repechage will determine the remaining four qualification places for wheelchair basketball’s premier international event.
After adopting the qualification format for Paris 2024, the IWBF introduces the Repechage Tournament for the first time as a second chance for countries to pursue a place at the World Championship. The new qualification structure creates additional meaningful opportunities for teams to earn their place on the court while helping ensure the strongest and most representative field possible for the sport's flagship competition.
Originally scheduled to feature eight teams, the tournament will now be contested by seven nations following the late withdrawal of Venezuela due to financial reasons. In Group A, hosts Thailand, Korea and the Netherlands will compete alongside Venezuela's scheduled fixtures, which will now be recorded as 20–0 forfeit victories for their opponents. Group B consists of Brazil, Iran, Poland and Senegal.
During the group phase, teams will play a single round-robin competition within their respective groups. At the conclusion of the preliminary round, the first-placed team from one group will face the fourth-placed team from the other group, while the second-placed team will meet the third-placed team from the opposite group. The winners of these crossover matches will secure qualification for the 2026 IWBF Men’s World Championship.
The competition is hosted by the Sport Association for Wheelchair Basketball Thailand (SAWBT) and takes place at the Thailand National Paralympic Centre in Suphan Buri, approximately 100 kilometres north-west of Bangkok. All matches will be streamed live on the IWBF YouTube Channel, with live statistics available throughout the tournament.
How They Got There
Group A
Korea
Korea arrives at the 2026 IWBF Men’s Repechage after finishing fourth at the 2025 IWBF Asia Oceania Championship. The Koreans, who have appeared at every World Championship since 2014, finished 13th in 2022 and will be looking to continue their streak of World Championship appearances after finishing behind Australia, Japan and Iran in their zonal qualifier.
Netherlands
Three-time World Championship medallists, including silver in 1998, the Netherlands finished fifth at the 2025 European Championship Division A. Semi-finalists at the 2022 World Championship, the Dutch narrowly missed direct qualification after being surpassed by Spain, Great Britain, Germany and Italy, and now seek to return to the global stage through the Repechage.
Thailand
A consistent force in Asia Oceania wheelchair basketball, Thailand finished fifth at the 2025 Asia Oceania Championship. As hosts of the Repechage, the Thais will have home-court advantage as they seek to qualify for only their second World Championship after making their debut in 2022.
Group B
Brazil
Tenth-place finishers at the 2022 World Championship, Brazil enters the Repechage after placing fifth at the 2025 Americas Cup. The Brazilians are aiming for a fifth World Championship appearance and have been ever-present at the event since 2014.
Iran
One of Asia’s leading nations, Iran secured bronze at the 2025 Asia Oceania Championship to claim a place in the Repechage. Bronze medallists at the 2022 World Championship, the Iranians will be among the favourites to secure qualification for Ottawa.
Poland
A sixth-place finish at the 2025 European Championship earned Poland one of Europe's Repechage places. The Poles are aiming to return to the World Championship after missing out on qualification for the 2022 edition.
Senegal
Senegal became the final team to secure a place in Thailand following the 2026 Africa Championship held earlier this year. Finishing third, the Lions inherited the Repechage berth vacated by runners-up South Africa and now have the opportunity to qualify for their first-ever World Championship.
