The South Africa men’s senior Wheelchair Basketball team punched their ticket for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games after defeating a spirited Nigeria team at the 2026 IWBF 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball Commonwealth Games Qualifiers in Luanda, Angola.
The Sasol AmaWheelaBoys as they are affectionately known were overwhelming favourites coming into this crunch encounter having already beaten the Nigerians in the pool stages. Their superior finishing and control of the game proved vital as they closed out the low scoring affair 13-8 with their opponents mounting a late rally but it was not to be for them.
Head Coach Cecil Dummond was full of praise for his team after the final whistle “I’m very impressed with the team, we are just going to build and get better and better”.
Lethal sharpshooter Shane Williams added “We feel very proud, it was a hectic run, and all the countries were competing for the number one spot, but we managed to keep it together and pull through.
In the ladies final played earlier, the South African ladies also took on Nigeria but they fell short, succumbing to a shock 8-3 loss, leaving everyone in the arena in disbelief as they failed to gain automatic qualification to the showpiece event in Scotland.
The teams now turn their focus to the 2026 IWBF Africa Championships taking place at the Pavilhão Multiusos do Kilamba in the Angolan capital Luanda from Friday, 27 March until 3 April 2026. The winners will gain automatic qualification to the 2026 IWBF World Championships in Ottawa, Canada in September.
Click here for the full schedule and tournament info.
