How to qualify in Wheelchair basketball
How teams qualify for wheelchair basketball at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics
Wheelchair basketball at LA28 has two tournaments, men's and women's, of eight teams each, with 12 players a team (192 in all). Places belong to the country, one team per gender.
The system has two steps, and no host place: the United States has to qualify like everyone else.
- Four places through the zones. The top four at the 2026 IWBF World Championships (Ottawa, Canada, 9 to 19 September 2026) each earned a place for their zone, not for themselves. Those places are then won by the best teams at the 2027/28 zonal championships (Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania, Europe), following a matrix the IWBF sets from the Ottawa standings.
- Four places at the 2028 repechage tournaments, one men's and one women's: the top four in each qualify.
The Ottawa top four:
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | United States |
| 2 | Italy | Canada |
| 3 | Great Britain | Netherlands |
| 4 | Germany | Great Britain |
If each finish earns a place for the team's own zone, the men's zone places would be one for Asia/Oceania and three for Europe, and the women's two for the Americas and two for Europe. The IWBF matrix that confirms this has not been seen.
Places by route
| Route | Men's teams | Women's teams |
|---|---|---|
| 2027/28 zonal championships, places earned by zones at the 2026 World Championships | 4 | 4 |
| 2028 repechage tournament: top four | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 8 | 8 |
Zones without championships
If a zone does not hold its championships, its places go to the 2028 repechage tournaments. A place a country does not use goes to the next team at the same competition.
Players
Players must be internationally classified (Confirmed, or Review after 31 December 2028). Twelve per team.
Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9 to 19 September 2026 | World Championships, Ottawa (decided) |
| 1 October 2026 | IWBF publishes the zone-place matrix |
| 2027/28 (to be set) | Four zonal championships |
| February 2028 | IWBF publishes who plays the repechage tournaments |
| 5 May 2028 | Accreditation Long List due |
| 2028 (to be set) | Men's and women's repechage tournaments; places confirmed |
| 24 July 2028 | Sport entries close |
What is still open
- Almost every 2028 date in the chapter is "TBD", including the confirmation deadlines.
- The zone matrix: the chapter says places go to zones "in accordance with IWBF's regulations", ordinarily through the zonal championships.
- For India, which did not play in Ottawa, the routes are the 2027/28 Asia/Oceania zonal championships, if that zone has a place, and the 2028 repechage.