Steelers ready to begin World Championship title defence in São Paulo tomorrow
The Australian Steelers have completed their final training session and practice match ahead of the 2026 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, with the team now ready to begin their title defence in São Paulo.
The Steelers rounded out their preparation today with a challenging and exciting practice match against Denmark, giving the squad one final opportunity to test themselves against quality international opposition before competition officially begins.
The session left the team energised and eager to get underway, with Captain Chris Bond saying the squad had continued to build throughout its preparation.
“We've had two practice matches now against Germany and Denmark and we're building,” he said.
“Every quarter we've got better and better and better. We finished really strongly against Denmark. The vibe's up now and we just can't wait.”
After arriving in Brazil last week, the Steelers have settled into their surroundings and completed their final preparations for a tournament featuring the world's best wheelchair rugby teams.
Acting Head Coach Lewis Quinn said the team was feeling confident after a strong lead-in to the tournament with the practice matches providing valuable opportunities to test the Steelers against international opposition before the opening whistle.
“It's good to test ourselves against some really quality opposition in the lead up to the comp. So yeah, we're ready to go.”
The 2026 World Championship is being held at the São Paulo’s Paralympic Training Centre in São Paulo, Brazil, marking the first time the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship has been held in South America.
The tournament represents an exciting moment for the global growth of wheelchair rugby, bringing the world's best teams to a new region and providing an opportunity to showcase the sport to a new audience.
For the Steelers, it is also the biggest tournament on the international calendar outside of the Paralympic Games.
“Worlds is probably our biggest event, probably not the pinnacle of a Paralympic Games but the second highest major for us in the sport,” Quinn said.
“It's obviously the biggest event in terms of teams that compete, so we've got 12 teams, two pools of six. It's a huge tournament for us and really important.”
The Steelers enter the tournament as reigning World Champions, having claimed the title in 2022. With that comes the expectation that comes with being the team to beat.
“We do have a target on our back, being the reigning champs,” Quinn said.
“But yeah, it's a different team from four years ago. This team's just really excited to get on court, live up to the pressure, hopefully, and just looking forward to defending that title.”
The Steelers will officially begin their World Championship campaign against Canada tomorrow.
The captain also had a message for the Australian supporters watching from home.
“We know it's an effort to set your alarms and get up and go to work afterwards and that kind of thing,” Bond said.
“It means a lot to us to know that you guys are watching back home.”
Supporters can join the conversation throughout the tournament by following the Steelers and Wheelchair Rugby Australia across social media, with Bond encouraging fans to send their messages of support.
“Feel free to comment on the stream as well and on all our socials and let us know your messages of support, because we will read them. And let's go Australia.”
The Steelers' opening World Championship match against Canada will be available to watch via the official tournament livestream on the World Wheelchair Rugby’s YouTube page.
📅 Monday, 17 August 4pm BRT / Tuesday 18 August 5am AEST
📺 Watch live: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYHEYOIRc7Eg&si=jCWr9reDUSlYU-8h
Let's go, Steelers. 🇦🇺
For more information, or access to imagery and interviews, contact:
Emily Newton (Manager – Media & Marketing)
emily@wheelchairrugby.com.au