Brisbane Secures 2027 World Wheelchair Rugby Cup at Nissan Arena

Brisbane has been selected to host the 2027 World Wheelchair Rugby Cup, bringing eight of the world’s top national teams to Nissan Arena from 25 to 29 October 2027 for five days of elite international competition.

The hosting rights were secured through a multi-agency partnership involving the Queensland Government, Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), World Rugby, Rugby Australia, Paralympics Australia, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), and Wheelchair Rugby Australia.

The event will run concurrently with the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, taking place between the tournament’s Round of 16 and quarterfinal fixtures to maximise global audience cross-over and fan engagement.

Emphasising the collaborative effort required to bring the event to Queensland, CEO of Wheelchair Rugby Australia, Chris Nay, said: “The support of World Rugby, Rugby Australia, Paralympics Australia, the Australian Sports Commission and the Queensland Academy of Sport has played an influential role in securing this event.”

“We are grateful to be working with such strong, values-aligned organisations and look forward to delivering a record result for them in 2027,” Nay said.

Highligting the significance of competing on home soil, Multi-time paralympian and QAS-supported Australian Steelers athlete, Ryley Batt, added: “More than half of our current high-performance athletes are based in Queensland, so playing a World Cup at Nissan Arena in front of friends and family would mean everything.”

“We want Queenslanders and fans across Australia beside us, making noise and helping create the biggest dedicated wheelchair rugby crowd the sport has seen outside the Paralympic Games,” Batt said. 

Legacy Framework and Event Operations

The 2027 tournament follows the operational template established by the inaugural 2023 International Wheelchair Rugby Cup in Paris, where Australia’s national team, the Australian Steelers, defeated Canada 53–48 in the final.

Key commercial and operational highlights include:

• Attendance Ambition: Event organizers are targeting the largest attendance for a standalone wheelchair rugby tournament outside the Paralympic Games.
• High-Performance Base: Queensland hosts more than 50% of Australia’s elite national wheelchair rugby program athletes, providing a home-court advantage for the defending champions.
• Brisbane 2032 Alignment: Serves as a major international test event for Queensland’s sports infrastructure ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Ticketing Roadmap: Official public ticket sales will open in early 2027 via wheelchairrugby.com.au/world-cup.

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