Meet Men’s Group A: USA, Italy, Brazil and the Netherlands

Bringing together the 16 best wheelchair basketball teams on earth, the Men's Tournament of Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships kicks off with a Group Stage formed by four groups, each composed of four teams. The sides will face each other from 9 to 13 July in matches that will decide the crossovers for the round of 16.

And now it's time to learn a little more about the teams that make up each group, starting with Group A, which is formed by the United States, Italy, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

Group A

United States

The United States are, historically, a top contender in wheelchair basketball competitions. The Americans are the tournament’s most successful team of all time, with seven titles, and have also reached the final in the last three editions, being the reigning champions after lifting the trophy in Dubai 2022. So, if the United States are on court, you can be sure that history is being written.

Road to Ottawa 2026

The United States are simply absolute in the Americas and secured their place in Ottawa 2026 by winning the 2025 Americas Cup, held in Bogotá, Colombia.

Player to watch

Jake Williams is the guy you cannot take your eyes off for even a single second when the Americans are on court. World Champion in Dubai 2022 and three-time Paralympic gold medallist, the class 2.5 athlete was the top scorer and named MVP of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Last year, he led the United States to the Americas Cup title, being named tournament MVP with averages of 17 points and 8.5 rebounds (competition leader).

Italy

With one of the most competitive domestic leagues on the planet, Italy can never be left out of the big stage of wheelchair basketball. The country's best result in World Championships is a fourth place, achieved in Birmingham 2010, and they come from a fifth-place finish in the last edition, in Dubai 2022.

Road to Ottawa 2026

Italy secured their spot at the Ottawa 2026 IWBF World Championships thanks to a fourth-place finish at the 2025 European Championship – Division A, hosted in Sarajevo (BIH). With that, they secured one of the five direct spots allocated to Europe at the World Championships.

Player to watch

Captain of the Azzurri, Filippo Carossino is the name that comes to mind when talking about the Italian national team. Eight-time champion of the Italian league with his club, Unipol

Briantea84, the class 3.5 athlete has been the leader and technical reference for his national team in recent major tournaments. At last year's European Championship, the number 22 led his team in the statistics for the three main fundamentals, with averages of 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

Brazil

One of South America's most powerhouse, Brazil aim to surprise their opponents in Ottawa. The green and yellow team competes in the World Championships for the fifth time in history, the third consecutively, and seek to improve their best historical result, which was a ninth-place finish in 2006.

Road to Ottawa 2026

Brazil finished fifth at the 2025 Americas Cup, which forced the team to seek a spot at the 2026 IWBF World Championships through the Repechage Tournament. In the competition held in May, in Suphan Buri, Thailand, the Brazilians secured qualification after beating the Republic of Korea in a decisive clash.

Player to watch

Cristiano Clemente is an outstanding player from Brazil, being a standout for the team in recent competitions. The class 4.0 athlete was the great Brazilian name at the Repechage Tournament, being elected MVP of the tournament on Thai soil. His numbers were impressive: 30.0 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. At club level, he plays for the Italian team Reggio Calabria, for which he registered great numbers in the 2026 edition of the EuroCup 2, with 22.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.

Netherlands

Three-time medallists at World Championships – including silver in Sydney 1998 – the Dutch form one of those teams that are difficult to beat. One of Europe's most traditional sides, the Netherlands reached the semi-finals at the last World Championships, finishing fourth in Dubai 2022.

Road to Ottawa 2026

The Dutch finished the 2025 European Championship – Division A in seventh place, a result that took the team to the Repechage Tournament to secure a spot at this year's World Championships. In the competition, held in Suphan Buri, Thailand, the Dutch team were dominant and secured their place after beating Senegal in the decisive clash.

Players to watch

The duo formed by Robin Poggenwisch and Arie Twigt is the driving force behind the Dutch team. The 37-year-old veteran and the 26-year-old rising star command the action on court and have shared the spotlight in recent major competitions wearing the orange jersey. At the last European Championship, Poggenwisch flirted with a triple-double average, achieving 10.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. Twigt, meanwhile, was the team's top scorer, with an average of 17.1 points.

Find all Group A fixtures, team profiles and full rosters on the official Ottawa 2026 competition page.

Follow the full competition with live streaming, schedules, results, live statistics, standings and tournament updates across the official IWBF website, YouTube channel and social media platforms