The Santos Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge returns to Adelaide in April 2026!

See the all-conquering Australian Steelers play at home against some of the world’s best: USA, Great Britain, Germany and Brazil.

The competition will run alongside the existing Wheelchair Rugby National Championship and a junior’s division ensuring Adelaide will play host to one of the largest wheelchair rugby events in the world in 2026.

National Championship Division 1 teams: New South Wales Gladiators, Suncorp Queensland Cyclones, Protect Victoria Thunder.
National Championship Division 2 teams: Suncorp Queensland Tornadoes, West Coast Enforcers, Australian Capital Territory Buccaneers, South Australia Sharks and Kenya’s national team.

Event Details and competition schedule

Dates: Thursday, 23 - Sunday, 26 April 2026

Time: Doors open from 9am

Location: State Basketball Centre, Wayville

Public Transport

During the Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge, Adelaide Metro will provide free public transport to anyone with a valid event ticket and for competition personnel, including:

athletes
athlete support staff
competition staff
volunteers.

A free accessible shuttle bus will also be available to accommodate wheelchair users. This shuttle will operate throughout all days of the competition. Athletes, staff and volunteers will be given priority for this service.

Competition Schedule

Download a copy of the 2026 competition schedule as a PDF.

Please note: A previous version of this schedule included Denmark participating at the World Challenge. Unfortunately, they have had to withdraw from the competition, and those matches have been removed from the schdeule.

Don’t know anything about wheelchair rugby? Is it your first time attending the World Challenge or National Championship? Here are the 8 things to know before the first tip off:

Wheelchair rugby is a full contact team sport where males and females play on the same team.
Australia are the reigning World Cup champions and currently ranked 2nd in the World. The Steelers are one of the most successful sporting teams in Aussie history.
The sport was originally called “Murderball” due to the aggressive nature of the game. It is a contact sport where collisions between wheelchairs form a major part of the game. Wheelchair rugby combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball.
Wheelchair rugby games are played across 4 quarters of 8 minutes on a regulation hardwood basketball court using a soft volleyball.
Wheelchair rugby is played with 4 players on court for each team with aim being to carry the ball across the opponents’ goal line to score a point. Players have 40 seconds to do this.
To be eligible to play, athletes must be quadriplegic (tetraplegic). The degree to which this quad-impairment effects the athlete, leads into classification. A total of 8.0 points are allowed on the court at once and must be split up between the 4 athletes on court. Each athlete is assigned a classification based on functionality of their physical ability with 0.5 being less functional and 3.5 being most functional. Female players offer teams an addition to this 8.0 cap on court based on their classification (female’s with a 0.5 - 1.5 offer an extra 0.5 on court, while those with a 2.0 - 3.5 classification offer an extra 1.0 on court).
Running alongside the existing National Championship, and the junior’s division, this is one of the biggest wheelchair rugby events in the world.
You can either watch all the action live at the State Basketball Centre or catch all the matches on Foxtel and Kayo in Australia. If you live outside of Australia, international streaming options will be available and announced closer to the event.

Photo credit to Stephen Tremain

Tickets are on sale now!

Be part of history and secure your ticket to the 2026 Santos Wheelchair Rugby World Challenge.

Full Event, Day and Session Passes are available for every day of the competition, including Primetime Sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, culminating in Finals Day on Sunday. Don’t miss out - buy your tickets today.

Buy Tickets

Plan Your Trip to South Australia

Adelaide is a place where quality takes precedence over quantity. A place that goes beyond just towering buildings and glass windows that reflect dozens of commuters coming and going. Here, we value the smaller moments – because we know that’s what makes a place. Like the passionate restaurant owner who greets you as they weave through tables; the art student, curled up in the corner of a gallery, furiously sketching; how the air feels cooler the minute you step beneath the canopy of the botanic gardens, or feeling united by a festival crowd. Experiences in Adelaide are abundant — offering exactly what you need, right when you need it. Scroll through our curated guides and plan a visit that leaves you feeling renewed – not burnt out.

Places to stay

Whether you're staying for the weekend, or staying the week, be sure to experience the best that South Australia has to offer.

**EOS by SkyCity**
Region: Adelaide
*Credit: SkyCity*

**Pago Middleton**
Region: Fleurieu Peninsula
*Credit: Pago Middleton*

**The Louise**
Region: Barossa
*Credit: Baillie Lodges*

**Ecopia Retreat**
Region: Kangaroo Island
*Credit: Mish and Kirk*

Places to Eat

Cheering on your team can be hungry and thirsty work - check out the world-class food and drink on offer in South Australia.

**Osteria Oggi**
Region: Adelaide
*Credit: Jonathan van der Knaap*

**Part Time Lover**
Region: Adelaide
*Credit: Josie Withers*

**Merrymaker Rooftop Bar**
Region: Adelaide
*Credit: Hotel Indigo Adelaide*

Things to do

Come for wheelchair rugby, but don't miss the amazing experiences Adelaide and South Australia has to offer.

**Cleland Wildlife Park**
Region: Adelaide Hills
*Credit: Greg Snell*

**Hahndorf**
Region: Adelaide Hills
*Credit: Michael Waterhouse Photography*

**Monarto Safari Park**
Region: Murray River, Lakes & Coorong
*Credit: KaZKaptureZ*

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