IQA World Cup: Pools D and E Preview

Author: Brandon Borges

As the 2025 IQA World Cup approaches, speculation builds around how each pool will unfold. With cross-pool play defining the path to bracket play, Pools D and E promise a compelling mix of powerhouse programs, rising contenders, and tactical wildcards. England and Australia headline the slate, but with Latin America’s explosive potential and Canada’s stifling defense, no matchup is safe. Whether it’s a clash of elite systems or a test of raw physicality, this slate will shape the knockout rounds in dramatic fashion.

Pool D Teams

England

Team England enters the 2025 World Cup as one of the most complete and dangerous squads in the field. A well-established program with continuity and depth across all positions, England returns with a powerful mix of veteran leadership and emerging talent. The team is captained by Bex Lowe, a chaser who has been with Team UK since 2016 and continues to lead with relentless drive and high expectations. Supporting her is a leadership group that includes chaser-seeker Ed Brett, a competitive voice and emotional anchor on pitch. Alice Twist, a former head coach now returning as a player, brings tactical insight that elevates everyone around her. Douglas Bryant is a cerebral beater whose guidance and passion have helped rebuild England’s beater core after the retirements of stalwarts Bill Orridge and Lucy Barrington. Bryant is joined by breakout beaters like Marianna Parroquin, Paula Marmo, and Will Brilliant, all of whom are making names for themselves with quick decision-making, control retention and fearless play in high-stakes moments. Also anchoring the unit is Mikey Orridge, whose commanding presence and ability to hold his own against Europe’s best make him a foundational piece of England’s beater corps.

The beating depth supports a lightning-fast chaser game centered around the playmaking brilliance of Ben Malpass. One of the most well-rounded players in the tournament, Malpass is an elite point defender in transition, a tireless chaser in zone and most notably, an unselfish offensive engine. His ability to read the field and find teammates like Elliot Fisher and Benan Emre on perfectly timed cuts makes him England’s most vital player. Emre has emerged as a strong two-way presence, and Fisher has quickly developed into one of the most effective off-ball threats in Europe with precise positioning and finishing touch. England’s game thrives in the open field, and when the fast break is paired with smart cuts and beat coordination, they’re almost impossible to contain.

Still, their up-tempo style occasionally creates vulnerabilities. At times, England pushes the pace too hard on fast breaks without the structure or passing support to finish the play, leading to rushed possessions and turnovers. Developing consistency in those moments, particularly when Malpass isn’t on the pitch, will be critical to converting their athletic advantages into victories against top-tier opponents. Younger chasers like Luke Twist are already showing promise as secondary distributors, and if England can smooth out the wrinkles in their transition execution, they have every reason to believe they can reach the final. With an elite core, standout leadership and a tactical identity that matches their personnel, England looks every bit like a World Cup powerhouse.

Austria

Austria enters the 2025 World Cup as a team in the middle of a significant transition. With much of their previous core no longer on the roster, this year's squad leans heavily on a new generation of players, many of whom are still gaining experience on the international stage. That makes leadership from veterans like Richard Frasl and Martin Beyer all the more important. Frasl continues to be a steady presence at chaser, capable of reading defenses and finding soft spots behind hoops, while Beyer anchors the beater game with poise and a measured physicality. Elisabeth Wimmer has also shown promise as a wing scoring option, with a knack for finishing from tight angles. Though still gelling as a unit, Austria’s real strength lies in their intelligence and adaptability; they’re not afraid to tweak their strategies mid-game, whether by shifting defensive sets or adjusting beater roles in response to an opponent’s pace.

That adaptability gives Austria a fighting chance in most matchups, even if they don’t always convert it into goals. The team has shown it can diagnose and counter offensive patterns, especially in slowing down fast breaks and recognizing passing schemes. But offensively, Austria can struggle with consistency: unforced errors, missed fast-break opportunities and poor execution in tight spaces often undo otherwise well-planned possessions. Beater control is often maintained but not fully weaponized, and scoring chances can fade when chasers hesitate to take the space their beaters create. Still, Austria’s willingness to learn on the fly and compete with grit means they’re not a team anyone can take lightly. With more reps and growing chemistry, this young group could be laying the groundwork for a stronger showing in future tournaments.

Poland

Poland enters the 2025 World Cup as a cohesive and strategically sharp squad, known for their ability to adapt mid-game to opposing schemes. Head coach Piotr Frey and assistant coach Agnieszka Ząbkowicz have anchored the team’s identity around intelligent play and flexibility, allowing Poland to switch between defensive sets and pacing styles with relative ease. The core leadership group, including veteran beaters Maciej Olejnik and Mayyar Karkout and experienced chasers like Klaudia Winczewska and Patryk Dujka, brings tournament-tested knowledge to every phase of the game.

Poland’s strength lies in their in-game adaptability, but that strength depends heavily on team chemistry. With several new faces on the roster, including beaters Joanna Stodolak and Natalia Bartczak, and chasers Jakub Dutkowski and Dariusz Cupryś, Frey will be focused on integrating these players into the team’s dynamic systems. While many debuting players arrive with high-level club experience, adjusting to the pace and pressure of World Cup play will be a key test. Fortunately, the return of international veterans like Michał Kreft and Piotr Makuch adds valuable experience and stability.

At their best, Poland combines structure with creativity, often generating high-quality looks through coordinated beater-chaser interplay. While there have been occasional inconsistencies in finishing, the team has shown the ability to reach the right spots and create the right chances; it's simply a matter of converting them more consistently. If Poland’s execution can rise to meet their tactical ambition, they have all the tools to challenge for a strong finish.

Latin America

Team Latin America may be one of the newest squads on the international quadball stage, but they’ve already made a name for themselves. After a breakout seventh-place finish at the Quadball Nations Cup, the Empanadas return with a renewed sense of identity, pride and potential. Made up of players representing nations without standalone teams, such as Puerto Rico, Peru and Cuba, this diverse roster has embraced its shared roots and built a culture of unity and energy. The team’s identity starts at chaser, where they boast some of the tournament’s most exciting talent. Longtime USQ veteran Eric Pagoada brings physical drives and vocal leadership, while Amiri Rivera Sillah offers instant offense with pace and precision. They’re joined by Simon Arends Jr., a former USQ and MLQ champion whose combination of size and explosiveness makes him a fast-break nightmare and dynamic scoring threats like Anne Dannecker, Juan Acevedo and Luis Mendoza. It’s a deep and versatile chaser unit that can hang with the best in the world.

The beater corps, by contrast, is less established, but no less intriguing. Sean Pagoada provides over a decade of high-level experience and a physical presence few can match, and assistant coach Mary Cueva brings savvy decision-making and tactical intelligence. Beyond them, Latin America will need to shape their structure on the fly. The potential is there with players like Amit Portnoy (Olympians QC) and Gianfranco Garcia (Blue Shards), but building cohesion will be essential. With a multinational roster that spans continents and playing backgrounds, the biggest question facing head coach Michael Rodriguez is how quickly this team can form a unified identity. Their unpredictability is both an asset and a challenge: there’s little film to scout, but there’s also little precedent to fall back on. If the Empanadas can tap into their collective talent and create systems that match their energy, they could become one of the most dangerous wildcards in the tournament.

Pool E Teams

Australia

Australia’s Dropbears arrive in Brussels as one of the most physically dominant and strategically unique teams in the field. Built on a foundation of decade-long chemistry and hard-earned cohesion, Australia is a team that feeds off its collective energy: any player, whether starter or sub, can rile the squad into a frenzy through words or play. The experience runs deep, as nearly every player on the roster has been in high-level matches for years, and that familiarity translates to some of the most layered tactical sets seen at the World Cup. The team excels at baiting defenses into traps, flipping the field with deliberate fast breaks and setting smart pick plays. When they dictate the tempo and operate with control, few teams can stop them.

Their calling card, however, is a ferocious defense. Chasers like Cameron Walker and Brandon Frison lay bone-crunching tackles, while beater Obel Rennie anchors defensive rotations with high-IQ positioning and veteran savvy. But no player embodies the Dropbears more than Nathan Morton. A true utility talent, Morton excels as both a keeper and a beater, capable of punishing drives, precision passing and dominating exchanges with his cannon arm and field vision. He’s often the emotional and tactical leader on pitch. Alongside him, rising stars like Nicki Redman (a spring-loaded, ultra-athletic beater) and Sarah King (a newer ball-carrying chaser with potential to steady the offense) represent the next wave of Australian Quadball.

Still, for all their defensive strength and veteran poise, Australia’s weakness is consistent offensive finishing. They struggle to convert from set offenses, relying heavily on fast breaks or brute-force drives that falter when contained. The team’s set plays are thoughtful and well-orchestrated, but often fall apart due to mistimed passes, missed dunks, or overly physical one-on-one attempts against well-positioned defenses. Australia doesn’t lack ideas, they lack follow-through. If they can find reliable scorers and shift their approach when brute force fails, the Dropbears have all the intangibles to compete for a medal. Australia can out-work any team, but to win, they have to outscore them too.

Canada

Team Canada enters the 2025 World Cup as one of the most defensively disciplined and physically imposing teams in the tournament. Anchored by an elite beater corps led by the relentless Erin McCrady, Canada has built a reputation as a defensive wall. McCrady is one of the most disruptive free beaters in the game, forcing rushed decisions and making opposing ball-carriers painfully aware of her positioning at all times. She's supported by Emma Sherwood, a defensive anchor in hoop zones, and Hailey Yhap, a physical chaser who throws her body into every stop. The team’s set defense relies on swarming tackles and smart zone collapses, often turning individual hits into full-team takeaways. Bryan Melchior and Darren Bell highlight the chaser physicality, with Melchior stopping drives with size and power and Bell creating problems for defenses as both a bruising cutter and a transition threat.

Offensively, however, Canada remains a step behind the tournament's top-tier teams. While they have capable scorers like Bell and strong ball-movers like Chris Radojewski, the team struggles to turn beater-created openings into goals. Their preference for alley-oop passes can be dangerous when executed cleanly, but often becomes turnover-prone under pressure. When chasers don't synchronize with beaters, good defensive wins can turn into empty possessions. The offense can stagnate without rhythm, and long passes or rushed shots frequently backfire, feeding opposing fast breaks.

Strategically, Canada excels in slowing down high-powered teams. In recent matchups, even high-scoring offenses like England, France and Germany have had difficulty stringing together goals against their disciplined setups. Canada’s beaters are skilled at herding opposing ball carriers into danger zones and containing chaos in transition. But the same coordination that defines their defense hasn’t consistently carried over to the other end of the pitch.

With a deep pool of defensive talent and a commitment to physicality, Canada is a lock to be competitive in every game they play. But to take the next step and challenge for medals, they’ll need to develop more efficient offensive structures and capitalize on their beater advantages. If the offense can find a rhythm to match the defense’s bite, Canada could be more than just a tough out, they could be a serious contender.

Wales

Wales enters the World Cup as a developing program still searching for consistency but showing glimmers of progress behind a few key talents. The centerpiece of the team is chaser Scott Suri, a physical, high-IQ player who has emerged as Wales’s primary offensive engine and defensive stopper. Whether driving through contact, dishing no-look passes behind hoops or anchoring the hoop zone, Suri is at the heart of nearly every successful Welsh possession. Plays that revolve around him tend to succeed; plays without him tend to falter. Robyn Lancelotte has also shown flashes as both a distributor and a seeker, while team captain Jake Adcock provides vocal leadership on and off the pitch. There’s a clear sense that several individuals, such as the steady beater Lucy Nicholls, the physical chaser Max Parsons and Suri's most reliable off-ball chaser Dylan Jones, have the tools to contribute meaningfully when the structure is right.

That structure, however, remains a work in progress. Wales has shown some strategic depth, experimenting with 2-2 and 3-1 zones, napalm plays and varied transition looks. But execution is inconsistent, particularly in transition defense, off-ball movement and fast-break decision-making. Their pace of play is often a step too slow against faster teams, and they remain overly reliant on Suri to spark the offense. When he’s off the field, or used in a decoy role, the attack often stalls. Still, Wales fights hard in every possession, and their physicality on defense and flashes of creative playcalling suggest a team building toward something more. With each match, they carry the pride of their nation – Cymru am byth – and bring that same fire to the pitch. With more cohesion and confidence, they could cause problems for unsuspecting opponents, and continue climbing the ranks on the international stage.

Basque Country

Basque Country arrives at the 2025 World Cup as one of the sport’s newest national programs, having made their debut at the 2024 Quadball Nations Cup with a promising eighth-place finish. After years of competing under the Spanish banner, the Basque squad is stepping into its own identity, and this tournament provides a clear window into their developmental trajectory. While still establishing their footing among the international field, the team has shown signs of promise, especially in their coordination and strategic planning.

Tactically, Basque Country employs a measured approach. Their chasers demonstrate a good sense of spacing and awareness, frequently flipping the field and looking for open passing lanes behind hoop zones. They’ve drawn on some of the structural principles seen in Spanish Quadball, notably in their use of triangle-and-one defenses and well-orchestrated offensive passing sets. Players like Naiara Libano and Andoni Aranguren have made key stops, while Miguel Vasquez has emerged as a consistent option on both ends of the pitch. Their beaters, although not yet overpowering, have shown a willingness to challenge in transition and use smart, long-range beats to interrupt scoring opportunities.

That said, the team is still learning how to convert their setups into finishes. Drives sometimes stall short of the hoops, and beaters occasionally miss opportunities to disrupt defenders at key moments. Defensively, Basque chasers are quick to their assignments but could benefit from more physicality to finish tackles and stop plays earlier. In a pool full of experienced programs, this World Cup will test Basque Country’s growth. While they may not contend for a top-tier finish, they bring enough structure and potential to make noise, and, perhaps more importantly, to lay a foundation for future success.

Pool D Overview

Pool D features a compelling mix of established programs and high-upside challengers. England headlines the group as one of the tournament's favorites, boasting exceptional depth, elite transition play, and a refined tactical identity that allows them to punish mistakes and dictate tempo. With Malpass and Lowe steering the offense and a battle-tested beater core led by Bryant and Orridge, England is expected to handle even the toughest defensive units. Latin America, meanwhile, is a dangerous wildcard, loaded with raw talent, emotional fire and a fast-paced offensive style that can overwhelm more structured but less dynamic opponents. Cohesion remains a question mark, but their ceiling is high and their unpredictability makes them a real threat. Austria sits in the middle tier: smart, coachable, and tactically versatile, but often hampered by execution lapses and an inability to consistently finish plays. While they may not hang with the top squads, they’re well-positioned to secure wins over the lower seeds. Poland rounds out the pool as a tactically savvy, well-coached group capable of mid-game adjustments and defensive flexibility. Their success will hinge on how quickly they can integrate their newer players and translate system play into consistent production.

Pool E Overview

Pool E showcases a collection of gritty, defensively anchored teams at different stages of evolution. Australia leads the group with its veteran cohesion, punishing tackles and layered tactical sets that thrive on controlled chaos. The Dropbears are physical, relentless, and capable of dragging even elite teams into slugfests, though they still struggle to finish consistently in set offenses. Canada brings a similar defensive ethos, led by standout beater McCrady and a chaser corps built to absorb pressure and deliver hits. Offensively, however, they can become turnover-prone under duress, making conversion a lingering concern. Wales is a team on the rise, driven by the brilliant all-around play of Suri. With more cohesion and polish, they could be dangerous, but for now, they remain reliant on individual heroics. Basque Country, the newest national program in the pool, enters with a solid tactical base and growing chemistry. While they still need to build physicality and finishing touch, their field awareness and structural discipline already make them a difficult team to overlook.

Matchups to Watch

England vs. Australia (Saturday, 9:30 AM CEST / 3:30 AM EST)
A true clash of titans: England’s lightning-fast transition and polished offensive sets meet Australia’s ironclad defense and bruising physicality. England will look to play at pace and space the field, while Australia will aim to disrupt rhythm, lay hits and grind the game down. If England keeps composure, they can dictate the tempo, but if Australia lands early blows, this could become a war of attrition.

Latin America vs. Canada (Saturday, 12:30 PM CEST / 6:30 AM EST)
An explosive offense vs. an immovable defense. Latin America’s speed and versatility at chaser, led by Arends Jr. and Eric Pagoada, will challenge Canada’s disciplined, swarming style. McCrady and Sherwood will be tasked with containing chaos, and if Canada can limit second chances, they could stall out the Empanadas. But underestimate their offensive creativity, and Canada may find themselves on their heels.

Canada vs. Austria (Friday, 2:00 PM CEST / 8:00 AM EST)
This could be a sneaky-close tactical battle. Austria’s intelligence and patience could exploit gaps in Canada’s occasionally disjointed offense, particularly if Canada fails to finish off beater-created chances. But Austria’s own offensive inconsistencies could prove costly if they feed into Canada’s brutal transition game.

Poland vs. Wales (11:30 AM CEST / 5:30 AM EST)
A duel between structured systems and unorthodox brilliance. Poland’s veteran-led schemes and strategic discipline will be tested by Scott Suri’s all-around dominance and Wales’s willingness to play physical. If Poland neutralizes Suri early and controls the tempo, they should win. But leave him unchecked, and Wales could spring an upset.

Predictions for Pool D

England is the clear frontrunner, expected to sweep its four cross-pool matchups with superior depth and polished execution. Latin America’s firepower should allow them to edge out Canada and Austria, though they may falter against Australia’s control and physicality. Austria doesn’t have the scoring punch to keep up with the top teams but should capitalize on its experience and tactical edge to beat the bottom-tier squads. Poland is the wild card: they have the structure and personnel to go 2-2, but they’ll need to find their rhythm quickly to reach that mark.

England (4-0)

Latin America (3-1)

Austria (2-2)

Poland (2-2)

Predictions for Pool E

Australia’s defense-first approach should be enough to win three of their four games, with England posing the main obstacle. Their punishing style ensures no one will enjoy facing them, even in victory. Canada is poised for a 2-2 split, with wins likely over Austria and Poland, but questions remain against faster, more aggressive opponents like Latin America. Wales has the potential to put scares into higher seeds if Suri goes off, but consistency is lacking. Basque Country will likely struggle against more seasoned programs but could gain valuable experience as they continue to grow.

Australia (3-1)

Canada (2-2)

Wales (0-4)

Basque Country (0-4)