Australia will make history in Paris this December, with the nation’s first women’s wheelchair rugby team set to make their mark at the inaugural Women’s World Wheelchair Rugby Championship.

The Australian women’s team will compete from 1 to 5 December 2026, with the Championship giving women’s national teams the opportunity to compete for an official world title for the first time.

The historic occasion is the latest chapter in Australia’s growing female representation in wheelchair rugby, with Paralympian Shae Graham named captain of the inaugural team, continuing a career defined by firsts for women in Australian wheelchair rugby.

For Graham, this progression has been particularly meaningful.

After becoming the first Australian woman to play wheelchair rugby at a Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020, Graham was joined by Ella Sabljak and Emilie Miller in Australia’s 2022 World Championship-winning team.

The trio again made history at Paris 2024 as a record three women selected for an Australian Paralympic wheelchair rugby team, helping the Steelers claim bronze. Two years later, Graham, Sabljak, Miller and Lilliana Prucha were selected for the 2026 World Championship in Brazil, giving Australia a tournament-high four women in its squad, the largest female contingent fielded by any nation.

Graham also competed at the Paris Women’s Cup in 2023 alongside Sabljak and development athlete Rubie Gallagher, giving her an early glimpse of what a dedicated international women’s game could become. The 2024 edition drew 60 athletes from 18 nations, including Australia’s Prucha.

Graham will return to Paris to lead Australia at the sport’s first Women’s World Championship. 

“To be named captain of the first Australian women’s wheelchair rugby team is so special, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully put into words what this opportunity means to me,” Graham said. 

“When I competed at the Women’s Cup in Paris in 2023, I don’t think any of us would have predicted how quickly the women’s game would grow towards a World Championship. To return wearing the Australian jersey and lead our first women’s team is going to be a career highlight.  

“This Women’s World Champs is bigger than any one athlete. It belongs to every woman who has ever played wheelchair rugby and has pushed for opportunities to compete. They have helped build the pathway that brought us here. 

“We know we’re making history, but once we get to Paris our focus is on competing, representing Australia and setting a standard for the teams that follow us.”

Now, those athletes and the women coming through behind them have a dedicated Australian national team to represent.

The team will feature New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Para Unit athlete Rhiannon Bellette.

The inaugural team will be coached by London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist and former Australian Steelers athlete Ben Newton, who has since become a key member of Wheelchair Rugby Australia’s coaching team.

“There’s something special about being part of a team that gets to say they were the first,” Newton said.

“Having represented Australia as a player, I’m incredibly proud to now help lead this team as a coach, making sure that when we get to Paris, we perform. We want to play great wheelchair rugby, test ourselves against the world’s best and represent Australia with pride.

“This group has the opportunity to set the standard for what an Australian women’s team can be, both in how we show up on court and in the pathway we create for the next generation of women coming through the sport.”

As Wheelchair Rugby Australia’s Head of Pathways and Team Manager for the campaign, Natalie Charlton said the inaugural squad was an encouraging reflection of the growing depth of the women’s game in Australia.

“What’s really exciting is the breadth of athletes represented in this team, with players from across Australia and a great mix of established Steelers talent alongside athletes emerging through our state and national pathway programs,” Charlton said.

“Having that national representation is really important. It shows that opportunities for women are developing across the country, and that there are different pathways through which athletes can progress and earn the opportunity to represent Australia.

“Within that group, three athletes will also travel with their babies, who are all under two. Like everyone selected in the team, these women have earned their place as athletes first, and we’re proud to have created an environment that allows them to compete at this level while also supporting them as mums.”

The Women’s World Championship represents the next step in the international development of the women’s game. For the first time, Australia will have a women’s national wheelchair rugby team of its own.

Australia will compete at the inaugural Women’s World Wheelchair Rugby Championship in Paris from 1 to 5 December 2026, with the competition schedule and broadcast details to be announced closer to the event.

The Australian women’s wheelchair rugby team is supported by Lite n’ Easy and Intersection.

Inaugural Australian Women’s Wheelchair Rugby team list

  • Rhiannon Bellette – 3.5, NSW (NSWIS)
  • Natalie Millar – 3.5, QLD
  • Robyn Lambird – 3.0, WA
  • Shae Graham (c) – 2.5, VIC
  • Ella Sabljak – 2.5, QLD
  • Lilliana Prucha – 2.0, QLD
  • Kaitlyn Schurmann – 2.0, SA
  • Rubie Gallagher – 1.0, TAS
  • Emilie Miller – 0.5, QLD
Tags Rhiannon Bellette

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