South Africa two wins away from IWBF U23 Men’s World Championship

This follows a dominant run in the ongoing qualifiers at the Mandeville Indoor Sports Arena in Johannesburg, where the hosts are unbeaten after their five pool stage matches.

The SA U23 Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team, Sasol AmaWheelies, have cruised into the semi-finals and will face Kenya on Tuesday afternoon for a place in the final.

Their campaign began with a hard-fought 47-34 victory over Egypt, followed by an identical win against Libya, before they then eased past DR Congo with a 67-28 triumph and demolished Liberia 103-11 in a one-sided encounter. 

The final group stage match saw them record a comprehensive 89-21 win over Kenya, 

who will now have a second shot at the hosts in the first semi-final at 13:00. 

The second semi-final is scheduled to get underway at 15:30 – a North African showdown between Egypt and Libya, who placed second and third, respectively.

The final is set for Wednesday at 17:00, with the winner earning a ticket to the 2025 IWBF U23 Men’s World Championship in Brazil from 12-20 June.

South Africa’s Group Stage Results:

SA 47-34 Egypt

SA 47-34 Libya

SA 67-28 DR Congo

SA 103-11 Liberia

SA 89-21 Kenya

READ: SA U23 Wheelchair basketball captain eyes World Champs dream