The GB Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team discovered who they will face in the Preliminary Round of the 2021 European Championships today as both the GB Men’s and Women’s teams prepare for another major championships, just a few months after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The 12 Men’s teams have been split into two groups, while the six teams in the Women’s event will all play each other in a round-robin in the Preliminary Round when the European Championships take place in Madrid, Spain, from 4-12 December.
The 2021 edition will act as a qualification event for the 2022 World Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in November 2022 (exact dates still to be confirmed). The top-five men’s teams and four women’s teams from Madrid will qualify for next year’s World Championships.
Today the draw was made to confirm the Preliminary Round groups for the Men’s competition. As the top-ranked team, Great Britain, who are the defending European champions, were placed in the final pot with Spain and, as hosts Spain were able to decide which group they wanted to be placed in.
With Spain choosing Pool A, Great Britain were placed in Pool B alongside Austria, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
The top-four men’s team from each group will progress through to the quarter-finals and play opponents from Pool A, which consists of Spain, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Switzerland.
In the Women’s event, it’s the same line-up as the six nations which competed at the European Championships in 2019 with Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey again competing for this year’s title.
All six teams will play each other in the Preliminary Round with the top-four teams advancing through to the semi-finals and also booking their spot at the 2022 World Championships.
History was made the last time the European Championships were held in 2019 with the GB Men’s team regaining the European title – their seventh European gold, the joint-highest with France – while the GB Women’s team made history of their own, securing silver, their best-ever finish at a European Championships.
Men’s Competition
| Group A | Group B |
| Spain | Great Britain |
| France | Austria |
| Germany | Israel |
| Lithuania | Italy |
| Poland | Netherlands |
| Switzerland | Turkey |
Women’s Competition
| Great Britain |
| France |
| Germany |
| Netherlands |
| Spain |
| Turkey |
