The 2026 World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) World Championship will take place at the Paralympic Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 17 to 23, 2026, with 12 nations competing.
This is the 9th World Championship to take place, but this will be the first time it will be held in South America. Japan are the only competing team from Asia and won bronze the last time it was held in 2022. Australia are the reigning champions.
The first-ever Wheelchair Rugby Women’s World Championships are due to be held in Paris from the 1st- 5th December 2026.
In 2025, when the host was announced, José Higino, president of ABRC (Brazilian Wheelchair Rugby Association), said, “It’s hard to put into words the joy I feel as the president of ABRC, representing Wheelchair Rugby at this moment when we have successfully brought the sport’s biggest competition to Brazil. We understand that this opens a window of opportunity to further develop rugby in Brazil and across South America.”
WWR President, Richard Allcroft OBE added at the time, “The hosting of our pinnacle Championship event by Brazil demonstrates the leadership that they are taking in developing wheelchair rugby in South America. ABRC continue to support those developing countries through various initiatives.
It is an exciting moment for our first World Championship to be hosted in South America and see the best teams travel to what I know will be a successful tournament”.
It is only the second time that Brazil will compete in the World Championship; their previous appearance was in 2022, when they finished in 11th place.
The other teams to have qualified for the WWR World Championship 2026 are from:
- 2025 European Championship – Division A
- 2025 Americas Championship
- 2025 Asia/Oceania Championship
- 2026 World Championship Qualification Tournament
2026 World Wheelchair Rugby World Championship Pools
Photo Credit – JWRF
The World Qualification Tournament official Pool Draw was held on May 28th at the Brazilian Paralympic Training Centre, in São Paulo, and there are two groups for the World Championship.
Pool A
- Australia
- USA
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Netherlands
- Brazil
Pool B
- Japan
- Great Britain
- France
- Germany
- Colombia
- Denmark
Japan named their squad for the WWR 2026 World Championship in early July 2026. The captain is #22 Seiya Norimatsu with Vice-Captains #23 Hitoshi Ogawa and #32 Katsuya Hashimoto.
2026 WWR World Championship Schedule
How To Watch the World Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2026
The World Wheelchair Rugby Championship will be streamed live on the WWR YouTube channel.
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