Brazil edge Australia to keep quarter-final dream alive; Kitada’s late winner breaks French hearts
Brazil kept their hopes of a first-ever quarter-final appearance at the IWBF World Championships alive with a gritty 44–41 victory over Australia in the women’s tournament on Saturday, 12 September, at Carleton University.
In a hard-fought, low-scoring game, the South Americans fell 10 points behind early in the first quarter before mounting a comeback. It did not take long for the match to develop into a tight contest, with the lead changing hands and the outcome remaining in the balance until the final seconds.
That was when Vileide Almeida stepped up. She scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half, including the final two free throws with 20 seconds remaining, as Australia attempted a late rally by stopping the clock with fouls.
Almeida was the star for Brazil, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. Paola Klokler added eight points and eight rebounds. For Australia, Laura Davoli led the scoring with 16 points while also collecting 15 rebounds and providing seven assists.
“We had the first two games where we needed to bounce back. We came into this match with our heads held high, believing right to the end that we would come away with the win—and it worked out,” said Almeida.
The result lifted Brazil to a 1–2 record in Group A and left them firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stages. The team opened their campaign with defeats to Great Britain (78–39) and Spain (70–63), but victory over Australia kept their quarter-final dream alive.
Kitada the hero as Japan break French hearts
Japan’s women claimed a dramatic 46–44 victory over France, with Chihiro Kitada emerging as the hero. The veteran, who has been a key figure for the Japanese team throughout the tournament, sealed the win with a decisive basket with just five seconds remaining, sparking wild celebrations among her teammates and on the Japanese bench.
Kitada was the game’s leading scorer with 32 points in just 23 minutes on the court—an outstanding individual performance. Grâce Wembolua and Marion Blais led France with 13 points each.
Another close contest in the women’s tournament saw Canada maintain their unbeaten record with a tense 66–62 victory over China, runners-up at the previous World Championships. Kady Dandeneau was once again the driving force for the hosts, producing a game-high 37 points alongside 10 rebounds and six assists.
Defending champions the Netherlands continued their dominant run at Ottawa 2026 with a 73–50 victory over Germany at TD Place. Bo Kramer led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The USA also continued their impressive campaign with a commanding 102–29 victory over Algeria. Abby Middleton led a balanced American scoring effort with 21 points, while Lindsey Zurbrugg contributed 18 points and 11 assists.
Great Britain maintained their strong start to the women’s tournament with an 85–54 victory over Spain. Katie Morrow led the scoring with 20 points.
Japan take control of Group C as Colombia stun Poland in Ottawa
In the men’s competition, Japan edged past Spain 60–54 in a tightly contested encounter at TD Place. Renshi Chokai led all scorers with 21 points, while Manuel Lorenzo top-scored for Spain with 18. The victory moved Japan to the top of Group C, ahead of Poland and Colombia.
Colombia produced one of the biggest upsets of the men’s tournament so far, defeating Poland 73–65 at Carleton University. Jhon Hernandez led the way with a near triple-double of 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Poland’s Mateusz Filipski delivered another strong individual performance, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Germany had little trouble overcoming Morocco, recording a convincing 91–28 victory. Thomas Böhme led the German scoring with 16 points.
Results – 12 September
Men’s Tournament
Morocco 28–91 Germany
Spain 54–60 Japan
Poland 65–73 Colombia
Women’s Tournament
France 44–46 Japan
Algeria 29–102 USA
Netherlands 73–50 Germany
Australia 41–44 Brazil
Canada 66–62 China
Great Britain 85–54 Spain
Matches – 13 September
Men’s Tournament
10:00 – Türkiye vs Argentina (Carleton University)
10:15 – Great Britain vs Australia (TD Place)
16:45 – Brazil vs Netherlands (Carleton University)
17:00 – USA vs Italy (TD Place)
Women’s Tournament
12:15 – Germany vs France (Carleton University)
12:30 – USA vs Netherlands (TD Place)
14:30 – Japan vs Algeria (Carleton University)
14:45 – Canada vs Brazil (TD Place)
19:00 – Spain vs China (Carleton University)
19:15 – Great Britain vs Australia (TD Place)
Follow all the action from Ottawa 2026 through the IWBF World Championships stats pages, where you can find the complete schedule, results, standings, team rosters and live statistics. Matches are available to watch live on the IWBF and Wheelchair Basketball Canada YouTube channels.