The draw for the 4th IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship took place on Wednesday at the IHF Head Office in Basel, confirming the four preliminary round groups for a landmark edition of the competition, which will see a record 12 teams and all six continents represented for the first time when the tournament gets underway in Granollers, Spain, from 16 to 20 September 2026.

Following the procedure set out in Article 1.3 of the Competition Manual for Wheelchair Handball, teams from Pot 3 were drawn first, followed by Pot 1, before hosts Spain exercised their right to choose their preliminary group, with the remaining Pot 2 teams completing the draw.

Spain, competing on home ground for the first time in the competition's history, will begin their campaign against African debutants Libya and European rivals France. Spain will be favoured against Libya, and have plenty of experience, but have never played at this level, but this group still gives the hosts the chance to make an immediate mark in front of their own supporters.

The United States, runners-up at the 3rd IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship in Cairo two years ago, will look to go one step further after being drawn alongside Japan and Oceania debutants Australia. Japan's continental experience in Asia makes them a side to watch, while Australia's tournament bow adds an unknown quantity to a group the USA will be expected to lead, based on past performances.

 

The standout group of the draw sees Brazil and Portugal drawn together, with India completing the section. Both Brazil and Portugal arrive as genuine powerhouses of their respective continents - Brazil the champions of the IHF Four-a-Side Wheelchair Handball World Championship in 2022, and Portugal the champions of the 2022 World and European Six-a-Side Wheelchair Handball Championships. This makes this group the tightest one on paper in the competition. India, appearing in the competition for the third time after the 2022 and 2024, will have their work cut out against two of the sport's leading nations.

Reigning champions Egypt, victorious on home soil at the previous edition in Cairo and runners-up in 2022, have been drawn with South American representatives Chile and European debutants Lithuania. As the only former champions in the field, Egypt will start as clear favourites to top the group, though Chile's prior World Championship experience means they cannot be discounted, while Lithuania make their first appearance on the global stage.

The competition will be played as a preliminary round of four groups of three teams, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals, guaranteeing every side a minimum of five matches across the tournament in Granollers.

2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship - preliminary round - draw results

Group A: Libya, Spain, France
Group B: United States of America, Japan, Australia
Group C: Brazil, Portugal, India
Group D: Egypt, Chile, Lithuania