The IWRF has held the draw for the wheelchair rugby event at Tokyo 2020 ©IWRF

Defending champions Australia have been drawn with hosts and Rio 2016 bronze medallists Japan in the group stage of the wheelchair rugby tournament at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The International Wheelchair Rugby Federation Competitions Committee held the draw for the Tokyo 2020 competition at Sheffield College in Britain.

Australia, who will be seeking a third straight Paralympic gold medal at the Games in the Japanese capital, will take on Japan, France and Denmark in Pool A.

Pool B features the United States, runners-up at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

The top two from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners progressing to the gold medal match and the losers contesting the bronze medal game.

The wheelchair rugby event at Tokyo 2020 is due to run from August 25 to 29 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Organisers held a wheelchair rugby test event at the venue earlier this month, which involved members of the Japanese national team took part.

It was the first Tokyo 2020 test event to have been staged since the Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed to this year.

The Paralympics are scheduled to take place between August 24 and September 5.