How to qualify in Goalball
How teams qualify for goalball at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Checked 20 October 2026Valid for: Not covered: the IBSA goalball ranking (see the goalball ranking page); classification.
Goalball at LA28 has two tournaments, men's and women's, of eight teams each, with six players a team (96 in all). Places belong to the country, at most one team per gender.
| Route | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| The host, the United States | 1 | 1 |
| 2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships (Hangzhou, China): top two | 2 | 2 |
| 2027 regional championships: the best team not yet qualified in Africa, the Americas, Asia/Pacific and Europe | 4 | 4 |
| 2027 Paralympic qualification ranking tournament at the IBSA World Games (Tashkent) | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 8 |
Three places in each tournament are already settled:
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| Host | United States | United States |
| 2026 World Championships | China, Germany | China, Israel |
India's route is the 2027 Asia/Pacific Championships (one place for each gender) or the World Games tournament.
Eligibility
Players must be internationally classified and hold an IBSA licence (on the ISAS system) for 2028.
The routes
- Host: one men's and one women's team for the United States. If it does not use a place, it goes to the best team not yet qualified at the 2026 World Championships, from any region.
- 2026 World Championships (Hangzhou, 6 to 16 June 2026): the top two in each tournament.
- 2027 regional championships: the best team not yet qualified at each of the Americas (the Parapan American Games, Lima, 20 to 29 August 2027), Asia/Pacific (date and venue to be set), Europe (Group A, held at the European Para Championships in Geneva, 2 to 15 August 2027) and Africa (date and venue to be set). If a region holds no championships, its place goes to the World Games tournament, from any region.
- 2027 IBSA World Games (Tashkent, 26 May to 6 June 2027): the winner of the Paralympic qualification ranking tournament.
A place a country does not use goes to the next team at the same competition.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6 to 16 June 2026 | World Championships, Hangzhou (decided) |
| 31 July 2026 | IBSA confirms host and World Championships places |
| 30 September 2026 | Countries confirm them |
| 31 October 2026 | Unused places passed on |
| 26 May to 6 June 2027 | World Games ranking tournament, Tashkent |
| 2 to 15 August 2027 | European Para Championships, Geneva |
| 20 to 29 August 2027 | Parapan American Games, Lima |
| 2027 (to be set) | Asia/Pacific and Africa championships |
| 31 December 2027 | IBSA confirms regional and World Games places |
| 28 February 2028 | Countries confirm them |
| 31 March 2028 | Last reallocation |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
Points to check
- The chapter was added to the IPC document on 16 October 2026, after the World Championships and after IBSA's own confirmation date of 31 July 2026 that it lists.
- The order of the 2027 routes depends on dates still to be set: the World Games (May to June 2027) comes before the European and Americas championships, but places go to the best team "not otherwise qualified" in each.