The final day of pool play at the 2026 WWR World Championships delivered both a hard-fought loss and a dramatic win for USAWR, as the Americans finished second in their pool and secured their place in the quarterfinals.
The day opened with a matchup against Australia, and the U.S. came out strong behind its familiar starting lineup of Chuck Aoki (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Alex Pabon (Guayama, Puerto Rico), Lee Fredette (East Moriches, New York), and Sarah Adam (Naperville, Illinois). The Americans capitalized on both forced and unforced errors to build an early 14-11 lead, later stretching the advantage to six. Australia answered before halftime, tying the match at 26 and shifting the momentum heading into the break. In the second half, turnovers disrupted the U.S. scoring rhythm, allowing Australia to steadily pull ahead and close out a 54-44 victory.
Aoki led the U.S. with 13 trys, while Pabon and Adam contributed eight each.
The evening match brought a charged atmosphere, as a large local crowd packed the venue to watch the host nation Brazil face the U.S. for the first time in the tournament. The game came down to the final second, with the U.S. emerging with a thrilling 57-56 win.
Much like the earlier contest, the Americans built an early lead, but the physical pace of play created opportunities for both teams to force turnovers and swing momentum. An extended stoppage to address an in-stadium issue appeared to shift the energy, and Brazil surged late, tying the match with only minutes remaining. With the game deadlocked and seemingly headed for overtime, Adam delivered a cross-court inbound pass to Travis Baker (Hamilton, Ohio), who finished in the key to give the U.S. the decisive 57-56 advantage.
Aoki once again led the U.S. attack with 21 trys, while Adam added 15.
“For us, playing in front of a crowd like that, with everything on the line for them, and learning how to win in a tough environment was a huge lesson for us in this quad and in this tournament,” said Head Coach Joe Delagrave. “I’m proud of the team tonight. Whether on the court or off the court, we played together, and that brought it home.”
The results close out pool play for the U.S.. Quarterfinal matches begin tomorrow, Friday, August 21, with the U.S. scheduled to face France at 2:30 p.m. CT.