When the Netherlands’ wheelchair rugby team roll out for their first World Championship appearance in 20 years, as well as top-notch game plans, they’ll also be armed with a strategy to beat the heat.
Sao Paulo, Brazil, will host the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship from 15-24 August 2026, marking the first time the event has been held in South America.
Twelve of the world’s best teams, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA, will compete for glory at the Paralympic Training Center.
Van den Dop says the Netherlands are aiming for a top-eight finish in Sao Paulo. @gehandicaptensportnl
Returning to the world stage
Dutch wheelchair rugby captain Davy van den Dop said the team is thrilled to make their long-awaited return to the World Championship.
The players will need to take lessons from the qualification competition in Medellin, Colombia, where conditions were hot and humid and high altitude also required an adjustment.
Van den Dop said the hotter conditions were a shock for the team in Colombia because they are used to playing in a cooler climate back home.
“We have a couple of specialists who have experience with heat, so we will bring a slushie machine to cool down the players, especially the spinal cord injury players, to cool down core temperature,” van den Dop said ahead of the tournament.
Training preparations have kicked off over the European summer and team members are fortunate to live relatively close to each other.
“We train most weekends, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10h to 17h,” he said.
Morning sessions focus on cardio and then there are practice games in the afternoon with multiple line-ups. Players also have their own personal fitness schedules to follow during the week.
“For me it’s swimming, weightlifting and also some cardio in the wheelchair,” van den Dop said.
Looking ahead to the World Championship, van den Dop said the Dutch team’s defence is a strength, but their attacking composure still needs improvement.
“We need to relax a little bit more sometimes… don’t rush too fast,” he said. “We need to have a bit better composure.”
“We want to play our own game and make it as tough as possible for our opponents.”
The Netherlands will open their World Championship on 17 August against hosts Brazil. @gehandicaptensportnl
Counting down to Sao Paulo 2026
The Dutch team will open their campaign on 17 August against hosts Brazil, who are competing at the World Championships for only the second time and aiming to improve on their 11th-place finish in 2022 with the support of their home crowd.
The Netherlands will also play against Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medallists USA for the first time. The team played Paris 2024 bronze medallists Australia last year and won twice, so he expects a tough encounter from the Aussie outfit, which will be seeking revenge.
“Our main competitors at the tournament in our pool are Canada, New Zealand and Brazil. I think (the latter) will be a tough one because they have a home crowd behind them,” he said.
“We have a goal. We want to at least finish in the top eight (out of 12).”
“We need to have fun over there. Play real wheelchair rugby and let the world know we belong there.”
Win or lose, van den Dop has plenty to look forward to once the tournament concludes. Van den Dop’s wife will travel to watch him play and afterwards they will holiday in Brazil.
Paralympic dream
Off court, van den Dop is helping to design sports wheelchairs and also gives guest lectures at schools.
“In my past I had a long addiction to online gaming,” he said. “That cost me nine years of my life. I was also very overweight, 140 kilograms, compared to 75 right now. So that’s what I talk about. To let kids know that if the online world takes over your life, it can happen to anyone because there is a lot of dopamine going on. They can ask all sorts of questions, including about my disability.”
The first day of the World Championship, 15 August, is also two years to go until the Opening Ceremony of the LA28 Paralympic Games. The LA28 Games will be the first Paralympics held in Los Angeles, with the Opening Ceremony at the Stadium in Inglewood set to kick off two weeks of competition.
The Netherlands have never competed in wheelchair rugby at a Paralympics, so the team is focused on qualifying for the eight-team tournament.
“We are always dreaming,” he said.
“It’s a big jump on the ladder, but it is still possible. Every team starts at zero at the beginning of every tournament.”
The Netherlands are aiming to qualify for their first Paralympic wheelchair rugby tournament. @gehandicaptensportnl
Discover more about wheelchair rugby
Please visit the World Wheelchair Rugby website for more information about the World Championship