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Canada’s women’s national team have kept hopes of a home title alive. On Thursday (17 September), the hosts defeated two-time defending world champions the Netherlands 85–73, overcoming the team that has dominated major women’s wheelchair basketball competitions over the past decade.
The victory puts Canada back in a World Championship final for the first time since winning the title in 2014. Their opponents will be the USA, who defeated Great Britain 71–61 in the other semi-final.
The two teams will meet in the gold-medal game on Saturday at 14:30 at TD Place.
Aarin Young and Kady Dandeneau were unstoppable for Canada, combining for 69 of their team’s 85 points.
Dandeneau led all scorers with 35 points and added 12 rebounds, while Young recorded a remarkable triple-double with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists in one of the standout performances of the tournament.
For the Netherlands, Bo Kramer recorded 25 points and nine rebounds, while Mariska Beijer added 24 points.
The Netherlands will now face Great Britain in the bronze-medal game on Saturday at 12:15 at TD Place.
USA return to the final after 16 years
The USA are back in a World Championship final for the first time since 2010 after overcoming Great Britain 71–61 in a closely contested semi-final.
The lead changed hands several times as both teams battled for control of the game. However, the Americans took charge in the final quarter and held off Great Britain to secure their place in Saturday’s final.
Courtney Ryan led the USA with 20 points, while Rose Hollermann recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
For Great Britain, Katie Morrow finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
Spain and Brazil achieve their best-ever finishes
Thursday was also historic for Spain and Brazil, with both teams securing their best-ever finishes at a Women’s World Championship.
Spain defeated Japan 67–46 and will now play for fifth place for the first time. Their previous best finish was seventh place at the 2018 World Championship in Hamburg.
María Alonso Vilariño led Spain with 17 points and completed a double-double with 12 rebounds.
Brazil, meanwhile, faced Australia in the ninth-place game. As in their group-stage meeting, the contest was closely fought throughout. Brazil took the lead with two minutes remaining and went on to secure a 59–52 victory.
The result gives Brazil their best-ever World Championship finish, improving on the 10th places achieved in 2010, 2018 and 2022.
Vileide Almeida led Brazil with 13 points, followed by Geisa Vieira with 12.
In the other games of the day, France defeated Algeria 79–42 to secure 11th place, with Algeria finishing 12th. Marion Blais led Les Bleues with 25 points, while Lucie Nolet added 21.
China produced a commanding 64–37 victory over Germany. The 2022 World Championship silver medallists will now face Spain for fifth place. Xuemei Zhang led China with 33 points.
Results – 17 September
Men’s Competition
- 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 Competition
- China 64–37 Germany (5th–8th place)
- Spain 67–46 Japan (5th–8th place)
- USA 71–61 Great Britain (semi-final)
- France 79–42 Algeria (11th-place game)
- Brazil 59–52 Australia (9th-place game)
- Canada 85–73 Netherlands (semi-final)
Schedule – 18 September
Men’s Competition
- 14:30 – Netherlands vs Colombia, TD Place (9th-place game)
- 14:45 – Argentina vs Brazil, Carleton University (11th-place game)
- 16:45 – Poland vs Spain, TD Place (7th-place game)
- 19:00 – USA vs Japan, TD Place (5th-place game)
Women’s Competition
- 17:00 – Germany vs Japan, Carleton University (7th-place game)
- 19:15 – Spain vs China, Carleton University (5th-place game)
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.
