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Australia, Germany, Spain and France are qualified in the women's competition at the 2026 IWBF World Championships. With the conclusion of the Women's Repechage Tournament, held between 8 and 11 June in Guadalajara, Spain, these four teams secured the last available spots for Ottawa 2026.
The four teams join the United States, Brazil, Great Britain, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Algeria, who had already secured their qualifications through zonal tournaments, as well as Canada, the host nation. This closes the group of 12 countries confirmed for the 2026 World Championship, which will take place between 9 and 19 September in Ottawa, Canada.
The 2026 IWBF Women's Repechage was held at the Palacio Multiusos de Guadalajara, in the city of Guadalajara, located 60km from the capital, Madrid. The tournament provided a second opportunity for World Championship qualification to teams that had not achieved this goal in the continental tournaments. Alongside Australia, Germany, Spain and France, the teams that also competed in the Repechage Tournament were Angola, Argentina, Colombia and Thailand.
After three rounds in the group stage, the World Championship berths were decided in knockout matches, all played last Thursday(11 June). Second-placed in Group A, Australia were the first to secure their place by beating Argentina, third-placed in Group B, 63–34. Next, France, second in Group B, had saw off Colombia, third in Group A, 68–17.
Later, another European team secured their spot. Germany, who finished the first phase as leader of Group A, defeated Thailand, fourth in Group B, 59–46, edging away in the fourth. And the hosts, Spain, unbeaten and leaders of Group B, faced Angola, fourth in Group A, and confirmed their favouritism by winning 55–12.
Rewatch all matches on the IWBF YouTube Channel, with live statistics, results, standings and game reports available throughout the tournament - click here for more.
MVP Playing by Music
Watching Beatriz Zudaire playing is like attending a classical music recital where she is the one conducting the symphony. Spain's number 8 is a true conductor on court, controlling the rhythm of the game and leading her team to victory. The success of the Spanish team certainly passed through her hands during this Repechage.
A major highlight for the home team throughout this campaign, Zudaire was chosen as the tournament's MVP, having led the championship in assists, averaging 12 per game, and steals, with 3.3. Additionally, she was Spain's top scorer – and third overall in the tournament – alongside Isabel Chavez, with 16.5 points per game.
The Repechage Tournament
After adopting the qualification format for Paris 2024, the IWBF introduced the Repechage Tournament this year 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.
For the first phase of the competition, the eight countries have been divided into two groups. In Group A were Spain, France, Argentina and Thailand, while Group B featured Germany, Australia, Colombia and Angola. In this stage, the teams faced each other within each group in a single round-robin format.
As a result, the 1st-placed team in one group faced the 4th-placed team from the other group, while the 2nd-placed team faced the 3rd-placed team from the opposite group. The winners of these knockout matches qualified for the World Championship. The games took place between 8 and 11 June, and the full schedule and competition statistics are available by clicking here.
Competition Schedule
8 June 2026
- Angola 5 vs 83 Germany
- Spain 77 vs 39 Thailand
- Colombia 22 vs 55 Australia
- Argentina 43 vs 55 France
9 June 2026
- Australia 84 vs 23 Angola
- Argentina 52 vs 75 Spain
- Germany 63 vs 13 Colombia
- France 57 vs 37 Thailand
10 June 2026
- Germany 55 vs 54 Australia
- Spain 73 vs 53 FranceThailan
- d 65 vs 67 Argentina
- Colombia 48 vs 35 Angola
11 June 2026 (Crossovers)
- Australia* 63 vs 34 Argentina
- France* 68 vs 17 Colombia
- Germany* 59 vs 46 Thailand
- Spain* 55 vs 12 Angola
*Qualified to the World Championship
Photo Credit: Melodie Gagneux
