Japan Women's Goalball Team Finishes 6th at 2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships, Vowing to Build on Global Experience

On Monday, June 15, 2026, the women's 5th place playoff match of the '2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships' was held, with Japan facing Brazil. Japan led 2-1 at halftime, but allowed Brazil to stage a comeback in the second half, ultimately losing 2-5.

In their final match of the tournament, the team fought resiliently until the end but narrowly missed securing a top-five finish, concluding the championship in 6th place.

Orión JAPAN remains committed to channeling this experience into future growth and will continue its journey of challenge and improvement.

Kimura player throwing during the 5th place playoff match. Arai player throwing during the 5th place playoff match.

Women's 5th Place Playoff Result

Japan 2-5 Brazil

Post-match Comments from Captain Takahashi

― Reflecting on the tournament, how do you feel?

We came into this tournament aiming for a ticket to the Los Angeles Paralympics. Losing in the quarterfinals by a narrow 1-2 score against the USA was extremely disappointing, and it was difficult to recover emotionally. However, we pushed hard for a higher ranking. With the race for LA qualification already underway, we focused on giving our best in the final two matches against strong international teams.

― What moment from today's match stood out the most?

Conceding two early points at 0-9 was a scenario we had prepared for, so it left a strong impression on me.

― What are your aspirations moving forward?

We feel confident that our overall approach is sound, but we identified clear team weaknesses in both defense and offense. We will carefully analyze each issue and systematically prepare for the next tournament.

Match Video

https://www.youtube.com/live/kFcLa2l6xp0?si=NPyKPnlKt0THmSYw

Related Release

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000099.000101312.html

Tournament Overview

[Tournament Name] 2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships

[Tournament Period] June 6 (Sat) – 16 (Tue), 2026 ※ Matches held from June 10 (Wed) to June 15 (Mon)

[Venue] Hangzhou, China

Japan's Match Results

June 10 (Wed)

Women: Japan 10-0 Poland

Men: Japan 11-1 Argentina

June 11 (Thu)

Women: Japan 9-1 Ukraine

Men: Japan 9-6 Finland

June 12 (Fri)

Women: Japan 1-1 Canada

Men: Japan 14-4 Poland

June 13 (Sat)

Women: Quarterfinal – Japan 1-2 USA

Men: Quarterfinal – Japan 16-9 USA

June 14 (Sun)

Women: 5th–8th Place Playoff – Japan 7-4 Canada

Men: Semifinal – Japan 6-12 Germany

June 15 (Mon)

Men: 3rd Place Playoff – Japan 6-10 Brazil

Women: 5th Place Playoff – Japan 2-5 Brazil