France won the European Wheelchair Rugby Championship after an exciting final against Denmark. The tournament took place last week at Sportcampus Zuiderpark in The Hague. TeamNL finished fifth after defeating Switzerland in the 5th/6th place match. As a result, the team missed out on direct placement for the World Cup in 2026, but did qualify for the World Cup qualifying tournament.
France prolongs title
It was no surprise that France reached the final. The team was one of the tastemakers at the Paralympic Games last summer and is also reigning European champion. In the final, they took on Denmark, which surprisingly came out on top in Pool A. Although the difference between the two teams seemed bridgeable throughout the match, the Danes never for a moment managed to really close the gap: 53 - 49. Thus, France crowned themselves European champions once again.
TeamNL
The Dutch team lost narrowly to Germany on Wednesday, putting second place in the pool virtually out of reach and making direct qualification for the World Cup no longer feasible. Nevertheless, the tournament at home was a success on many fronts. “It is really a reward for the team that we qualified for the World Cup qualification tournament,” said Davy van den Dop, captain of TeamNL. "This week has been brilliant! Performing in front of an almost full Sportcampus in front of family, friends and more than 2,500 fans was great. It tastes like more and it's an honor to be able to promote the sport like this!"
Making a lasting difference
The European Wheelchair Rugby Championship was not only about top-class sport; the event was also a vehicle for the further development of inclusive sports. Willem Gallé, project manager of the EC Wheelchair Rugby on behalf of organizer Team TOC, emphasizes, "Together with partners such as Gehandicaptensport Nederland, municipality of The Hague and SGK, we organized several multi-sport days for people with disabilities. This has resulted in many new registrations at clubs in the region. During the European Championship there was also a blind grandstand and currently a Hague wheelchair rugby team is in formation. Lasting impact thus, strengthened and accelerated by the European Wheelchair Rugby Championship!"
The Hague shares
Sports alderman Hilbert Bredemeijer is pleased with the strides made in The Hague. "What a great tournament it was at Sportcampus Zuiderpark, where the international top of Wheelchair Rugby came together to compete for the European Championships. I want to congratulate France on the win and am proud of what TeamNL showed. This European Championship shows that sport is for everyone, even if you have a disability. And with the fun side events, such as on the pop-up pitches in the center and at Wheelchair Rugby clinics, the whole city was able to participate. On this tournament, we will build further to make sports even more inclusive."
