Rifflandia brings back W’Hoop It Up with Canada Basketball taking on UCLA

We’ve got some great news for Victoria hoops fans!

Canada Basketball and Rifflandia have announced a partnership to return W’Hoop It Up to Victoria this month.

On Wednesday, July 22nd, the event will bring Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team together against the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champions, the UCLA Women’s Basketball team, for an exhibition at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

As basketball continues to grow in Canada, the game will provide an opportunity for fans to see the Senior Women’s National Team compete on home soil against one of the best in the business as it prepares for the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in August.

“Victoria has become a special home away from home for our Senior Women’s National Team, and we’re thrilled to return once again this summer,” said Michael Bartlett, President and CEO of Canada Basketball.

“The support we’ve received from the Greater Victoria basketball community over the past several years has been incredible, and this game against UCLA will provide an important opportunity for our athletes and coaching staff as we continue our preparation for the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.”

“We look forward to welcoming fans back to Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for another memorable night of basketball,” added Bartlett.

The Canadian team has continued to build strong connections with  Victoria fans since first arriving in 2023, where the program set a record for home-game attendance during the Rim2Rim exhibition series against Japan.

The team then surpassed that mark in 2024 during W’Hoop It Up against Portugal, which drew more than 5,000 fans to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

The Senior Women’s National Team enters the summer ranked seventh in the FIBA Women’s Basketball world rankings, and looks to climb the ranks as they prepare for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The UCLA Bruins are fresh off a historic 2025-26 season in which the team captured its first NCAA Division I National Championship. They did so under the guidance of head coach Cori Close, who was awarded 2025 National Coach of the Year.

This will be the Bruins’ first appearance on Canadian soil.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to get better, so it was a no-brainer to sign on for W’Hoop It Up,” said Close.

“It will be such a great experience for us to play against Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s National Team. We’re excited to create some ‘Remember When’s’ while we’re up north, compete at the highest level, and become closer as a team.”

Rifflandia has been a partner and producer alongside Canada Basketball since the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Tokyo 2020.

With that relationship in place, Rifflandia has welcomed the Senior Women’s National Team to Greater Victoria every year since 2023, producing training camps and exhibition games that have cemented Victoria’s reputation as a centre for high-performance basketball.

“We’re incredibly proud to host Canada Basketball’s Senior Women’s team and UCLA in what we believe will be the highest-profile women’s basketball game ever played in Canada,” said Vanessa Leong, COO of Rifflandia.

“Since first partnering with Canada Basketball ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, we’ve been committed to bringing world-class basketball to Greater Victoria. This game is a celebration of how far the women’s game has come and an opportunity for fans to witness some of the sport’s very best athletes on Canadian soil.”

For more information on the event, visit the W’Hoop It Up website here. To purchase tickets to the game between the Canadian Senior Women’s team and UCLA, click here.

W’Hoop It Up Canada versus UCLA 2026

• Where: Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard Street
• When: Wednesday, July 22nd – 7 p.m.