Canada loses semifinal to U.S. at Americas Cup wheelchair basketball tournament

Team Canada falls short in bid for gold-medal final at IWBF Americas Cup

Team Canada’s hopes for a spot in the gold-medal final were dashed on Tuesday as they suffered a 70-57 defeat to the United States in the semifinals of the IWBF Americas Cup in Bogota, Colombia.

Despite a strong start that saw Canada leading 15-14 after the first quarter, the Americans took control of the game and held a 32-28 lead at halftime, extending it to 49-43 going into the final quarter.

Colin Higgins led the Canadian team with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Reed De’Aeth contributed 17 points and seven rebounds. Canada managed to outrebound the Americans 43-34 in the game.

On the other side, Jorge Salazar led the scoring for the Americans with 13 points, supported by Paul Schulte, Kesean Paire, and Jeromie Meyer who each scored 12 points. The United States will now face off against Argentina in the gold-medal game, after Argentina defeated Colombia 59-55 in the other semifinal match.

Qualification for Ottawa 2026

The Americas Cup serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championship set to be held in Ottawa from September 9-19. With their victories in the quarterfinals, Argentina, the United States, and Colombia have already secured their spots in the championship.

The teams finishing in fourth and fifth place in Bogota will have a chance to advance to the Repechage for another shot at qualifying for Ottawa 2026.

Canada’s automatic qualification

As the host nation, Canada has already earned automatic qualification for the 2026 World Championship, providing them with another opportunity to showcase their talent on home soil.