Argentina & Canada win team titles at 2026 IRF World Championships

Argentina and Canada won the Women’s and Men’s Team events, respectively, Saturday at the 23rd International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Temuco, Chile. It’s the first team win for Argentina ever, and the first year since 2010 that Mexico did not win the Women’s Team title. Canada’s win is their first Men’s Team title since 2002, and their sixth men’s title overall.

Both finals were over in two straight matches. In the women’s final, Argentina defeated the USA, 2-0. First, Argentina's Natalia Mendez beat American Lexi York, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7, and then Maria Jose Vargas - who had won the Women’s Singles title earlier in the week - defeated Michelle Andersen, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8.

Canada beat Mexico, 2-0 in the men's final. Canadian Coby Iwaasa beat Mexican Andree Parrilla, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, and then Samuel Murray came back from a game down to defeat Eduardo Portillo, 3-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6.

The four team final matches are available on the IRF YouTube channel.

23rd IRF World Championships
October 16-24, 2026 - Temuco, Chile

Men's Team Competition

Final - Saturday

4) Canada d. 2) Mexico, 2-0

Coby Iwaasa d. Andree Parrilla, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6
Samuel Murray d. Eduardo Portillo, 3-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6
Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray - Not played

Women's Team Competition

Final - Saturday

1) Argentina d. 3) USA, 2-0

Natalia Mendez d. Lexi York, 11-7, 12-10, 11-7
Maria Jose Vargas d. Michelle Andersen, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8
Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas v. Michelle Andersen & Erika Manilla - Not played

Follow the bouncing ball....

Four countries going for team gold at 2026 IRF World Championships

Four countries will be vying for the team titles at the 23rd International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Temuco, Chile on Saturday. The Men’s Team final is Mexico versus Canada, while Argentina plays the USA in the Women’s Team final. This is the first year since 2010 that Mexico will not win the Women’s Team title.

In the men’s semi-finals, Mexico needed three matches to get past the USA, 2-1, while Canada beat Bolivia in two straight matches. American Adam Manilla came back from two games down to defeat Mexican Andree Parrilla, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6. But Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo edged Sam Bredenbeck and DJ Mendoza, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, and then Portillo beat Jake Bredenbeck, 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6, to win the match for Mexico.

In the other semi, Canadian Coby Iwaasa defeated Bolivian Mario Mercado in three straight games, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6, and then teamed up with Samuel Murray to beat Kadim Carrasco and Conrrado Moscoso, 11-5, 13-11, 1-11, 11-6.

In the women’s semis, Argentina defeated Ecuador two straight, while the USA needed three matches to get past Mexico. Argentinian Natalia Mendez beat Maria Mendieta, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4, and then Valeria Centellas and Maria Jose Vargas defeated Maria Paz Muñoz and Veronica Sotomayor, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.

In the other semi, American Lexi York beat Mexican Jessica Parrilla in three straight games, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10. Then Mexicans Alexandra Herrera and Samantha Salas defeated Americans Michelle Andersen and Erika Manilla, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7. Thus, it was all down to Andersen versus Herrera, and it was the American who outlasted the Mexican, winning 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11, to advance to the final.

The finals will have the two singles matches played first followed by the doubles match, if necessary.

The IRF will live stream all of the team final matches from Temuco via their YouTube channel.

23rd IRF World Championships
October 16-24, 2026 - Temuco, Chile

Note: some of the match results below are incomplete.

Men's Team Competition

Final - Saturday

2) Mexico v. 4) Canada

Andree Parrilla v. Coby Iwaasa - 9 AM
Eduardo Portillo v. Samuel Murray - 10:30 AM
Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo v. Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray - Noon (if necessary)

Semi-finals - Friday

4) Canada d. 1) Bolivia, 2-0

Coby Iwaasa d. Mario Mercado, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray d. Kadim Carrasco & Conrrado Moscoso, 11-5, 13-11, 1-11, 11-6

2) Mexico d. 3) USA, 2-1

Adam Manilla d. Andree Parrilla, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-6
Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo d. Sam Bredenbeck & DJ Mendoza, 10-12, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-5
Eduardo Portillo d. Jake Bredenbeck, 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Bolivia d. 8) Chile, 2-0

Mario Mercado d. Francisco Troncoso, 13-11, 11-3, 11-6
Conrrado Moscoso d. Alan Natera, forfeit

4) Canada d. 5) Ecuador, 2-0

Coby Iwaasa d. Pablo Vera, 11-5, 8-11, 11-2, 11-1
Samuel Murray d. Juan David Zea, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5

3) USA d. 6) Guatemala, 2-0

Adam Manilla d. Hector Sierra Mansilla, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6
Jake Bredenbeck d. Juan Salvatierra, 11-5, 11-5, 11-4

2) Mexico d. 7) Costa Rica, 2-0

Andree Parrilla d. Alvaro Guillen, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4
Eduardo Portillo d. Gabriel Garcia

Round of 16 - Thursday

1) Bolivia - BYE

8) Chile d. 9) Dominican Republic, 2-1

5) Ecuador d. 12) India

4) Canada d. 13) Argentina, 2-0

Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray d. Lautaro Cufre & Fernando Kurzbard, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8
Coby Iwaasa d. Fernando Kurzbard, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5

3) USA - BYE

6) Guatemala d. 7) Japan, 2-0

Christian Aldana & Edwin Galicia d. Hiroshi Shimizu & Yasutaka Mizuno, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
Hector Sierra Mansilla d. Yasutaka Mizuno, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2

7) Costa Rica d. 10) Ireland, 2-0

2) Mexico - BYE

Women's Team Competition

Final - Saturday

1) Argentina v. 3) USA

Natalia Mendez v. Lexi York - 9:45 AM
Maria Jose Vargas v. Michelle Andersen - 10:30 AM
Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas v. Michelle Andersen & Erika Manilla - 12:45 PM (if necessary)

Semi-finals - Friday

1) Argentina d. 5) Ecuador, 2-0

Natalia Mendez d. Maria Mendieta, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4
Valeria Centellas & Maria Jose Vargas d. Maria Paz Muñoz & Veronica Sotomayor, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5

3) USA d. 2) Mexico, 2-1

Lexi York d. Jessica Parrilla, 11-4, 11-7, 12-10
Alexandra Herrera & Samantha Salas d. Michelle Andersen & Erika Manilla, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7
Michelle Andersen d. Alexandra Herrera, 11-7, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11

Quarterfinals - Friday

1) Argentina d. 8) Canada, 2-0

Natalia Mendez d. Frédérique Lambert, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10
Maria Jose Vargas d. & Juliette Parent, 11-4, 11-7, 11-2

5) Ecuador d. 4) Chile, 2-1

Veronica Sotomayor d. Carla Muñoz, forfeit
Paula Mansilla d. Maria Emilia Quinde Mendieta, 14-12, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9
Veronica Sotomayor & Maria Paz Muñoz d. Catalina Guzman & Paula Mansilla

3) USA d. 6) Bolivia, 2-1

Camila Rivero d. Lexi York, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8
Michelle Andersen d. Rebecca Amaya Argaya, 11-9, 11-6, 11-9
Michelle Andersen & Erika Manilla d. Rebecca Amaya Argaya & Valeria Miranda Martinez, 12-10, 11-4, 14-12

2) Mexico d. 7) Costa Rica, 2-0
Jessica Parrilla d. Jimena Gomez, 11-9, 11-4, 11-3
Alexandra Herrera d. Larissa Faeth, 12-10, 11-1, 11-4

Round of 16 - Thursday

8) Canada d. 9) Japan, 2-0

Frédérique Lambert & Juliette Parent (Canada) d. Marko Sato & Naomi Wakimoto (Japan), 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2
Juliette Parent d. Ayako Hanashi, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7

7) Costa Rica d. 10) Ireland

Jimena Gomez d. Toni Neary, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8

Follow the bouncing ball....

Mexico wins three titles, Argentina & Bolivia once each at 2026 IRF World Championships

Mexicans won three World Championships Thursday at the 23rd International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Championships in Temuco, Chile, taking the three doubles divisions, while the singles titles were split between Argentina and Bolivia.

Argentina’s Maria Jose Vargas won Women’s Singles for the first time by defeating former World Champion Gabriela Martinez of Guatemala, 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-3. Vargas, 33, was in the final of the first time, while Martinez played her fifth final, despite being only 27 years old.

Martinez won the first game of the final, but Vargas was dominant after that, as she kept Martinez moving around the court. After the first game, Martinez seemed to be rushing her shots, which didn’t help her cause.

Bolivian Conrrado Moscoso won his second Men’s Singles World Championship by defeating American Jake Bredenbeck, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10. He’d previously won in 2018. It was Bredenbeck’s second consecutive final, as he’d also reached the finals in 2024, when he lost to team-mate Daniel De La Rosa.

The final was closely fought, and it looked like Bredenbeck would force a tie-breaking fifth game, as he led for much of game four. However, Moscoso was able to come back and close out the match in four games.

The Women’s Doubles final did go to five games, although that looked unlikely early on as Mexicans Alexandra Herrera and Samantha Salas won the first two games against Americans Michelle Andersen (née Key) and Erika Manilla. But Andersen and Manilla stepped it up and took the next two games to force a breaker.

But in the breaker, it was Mexico who took an early lead and held off the Americans, winning 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6. Both Herrera and Salas had won doubles at Worlds before. Herrera won for the second consecutive time (she did so with Montserrat Mejia in 2024), while Salas’s win was her sixth, with the previous five all coming with Paola Longoria. Salas’s first win was back in 2010.

The Men’s Doubles final was also a five game affair with Mexicans Andree Parrilla and Eduardo Portillo eking out a victory over the Canadian defending champions Coby Iwaasa and Samuel Murray, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-6. It’s the first world championships for both Parrilla and Portillo.

Portillo had a chance to win it in game four, when they led 11-10 after fighting off three Canadian game points, but he skipped a clear forehand set up. If they hadn’t won in the end, that error would likely have kept Portillo up at night.

But in game five, Mexico never trailed, scoring the first two points and after a 2-2 tie, Mexico led the rest of the way. The end of the game and match was sad, as Portillo hit a defensive shot that was going to be a set up off the right wall for an Iwaasa forehand shot until it slid down the wall and was unplayable by the Canadian.

Salas won a second title in Temuco, as she and Rodrigo Montoya won Mixed Doubles for a second time, beating Guatemalans Edwin Galicia and Gabriela Martinez in the final, 11-6, 11-9, 11-6. Salas’s two titles give her eight (8!) for her career, which is second only to her long time doubles partner Paola Longoria’s 11. For his part, Montoya’s no slouch, as the mixed title was his fourth World Championship, and he is only one of two players (Daniel De La Rosa is the other) to have won singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Worlds.

Players will now play men’s and women’s team competitions, which are best of three matches (two singles matches and a doubles match) between countries beginning on Thursday. The defending Men’s Team champions are the USA, while Mexico are the defending Women’s Team champions.

The IRF is live streaming some of the matches from Temuco via their YouTube channel.

23rd IRF World Championships
October 16-24, 2026 - Temuco, Chile

Men's Singles

Final - Thursday

2) Conrrado Moscoso (Bolivia) d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck (USA), 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10

Consolation Round

Final - Thursday

7) Francisco Troncoso (Chile) d. 5) Alvaro Guillen (Costa Rica), 11-3, 11-1, 11-1

Women's Singles - Medal Round

Final - Thursday

2) Maria Jose Vargas (Argentina) d. 4) Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 8-11, 11-1, 11-3, 11-3

Consolation Competition

Final - Thursday

4) Cristina Amaya (Italy) d. 6) Rebecca Amaya Ardaya (Bolivia), 11-7, 11-7, 11-7

Men's Doubles

Final - Thursday

2) Andree Parrilla & Eduardo Portillo (Mexico) d. 1) Coby Iwaasa & Samuel Murray (Canada), 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-6

Consolation Competition

Final - Thursday

4) Ramon De Leon & Luis Perez (Dominican Republic) d. 2) Lautaro Cufre & Leandro Zurita (Argentina), 11-6, 11-6, 11-5

Women's Doubles - Medal Competition

Final - Thursday

1) Alexandra Herrera & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 3) Michelle Andersen & Erika Manilla (USA), 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6

Consolation Competition

Final - Wednesday

3) Frédérique Lambert & Juliette Parent (Canada) d. 1) Catalina Guzman & Paula Mansilla (Chile), 11-3, 11-8, 11-6

Mixed Doubles

Final - Thursday

2) Rodrigo Montoya & Samantha Salas (Mexico) d. 4) Edwin Galicia & Gabriela Martinez (Guatemala), 11-6, 11-9, 11-6

Consolation Competition

Final - Thursday

2) Carla Muñoz & Alan Natera (Chile) d. 1) Yasutaka Mizuno & Maiko Sato (Japan), 11-5, 11-5, 11-6

Follow the bouncing ball....