National championship event to bring together athletes from across the country and introduce new Division 3 competition and revamped minis division
(OTTAWA, Ont.) — The Canadian wheelchair basketball community will come together this spring as the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) Finals tip off at the Saville Community Sports Centre from April 17–19, 2026, in Edmonton, Alta.
The competition begins on Friday, April 17, with Division 2 and 3 tipping off at 8:30 a.m. and Division 1 action getting underway at 10:15 a.m. The opening day schedule will also feature the Hall of Fame Game at 7 p.m., as the Alberta Northern Lights take on Centre d’intégration à la vie active (CIVA) in a rematch of last year’s gold medal game.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday, April 19, with three gold medal games on Court 1. Off the court, the Awards and Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 18, at the Holiday Inn (950 Parsons Rd SW, Edmonton, AB).
“Our vision for the CWBL Finals is to create stage-appropriate, meaningful competition opportunities for all Canadians,” said Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) Director of Development, Sean Liebich. “We have implemented some intentional, targeted strategies this year to expand the event, include more people and celebrate this great community.”
The CWBL Finals serve as a premier celebration of wheelchair basketball in Canada, bringing together athletes, coaches, officials, and supporters from coast to coast for three days of high-level competition, while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Alberta Northern Lights.
With four divisions and 22 teams registered, the 2026 CWBL Finals are set to be the largest domestic event hosted by WBC to date.
New at the 2026 tournament is the launch of Division 3 competition, introducing an open-points format designed to expand access to national-level play. Division 3 will feature four teams representing Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario, and will match individual athletes from non-competing clubs with Division 3 teams, creating new competitive opportunities for athletes across the country.
The 2026 tournament will feature an expanded minis division, providing young athletes with the opportunity to compete at the national level and further develop their skills.
“We want to continue to build on the momentum at CWBL Finals,” Liebich said. “Adding more divisions and competition opportunities is high on our to-do list, and we will look for strategic opportunities to mobilize plans in the 2028-2031 domestic hosting calendar, which will open for bids in the summer of 2026.”
WBC is furthering the organization’s commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment by adopting the Canadian Safe Sport Program for all WBC-sanctioned events.
Additional details, including participating teams and tournament schedules, will be announced in the coming weeks and can be found on WBC’s CWBL Finals event page.