2026 Centrobasket Women

2026 Centrobasket Women
Tournament details
Host countryNicaragua
CityManagua
Dates12–18 July
Teams8 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Puerto Rico (6th title)
Runners-up Mexico
Third place Dominican Republic
Fourth place Virgin Islands
Tournament statistics
Games played22
Attendance6,318 (287 per game)
MVPPuerto Rico Imani McGee-Stafford
Top scorerNicaragua Kiyomi McMiller (147 points)[1]
Official website
Managua 2026

The 2026 Centrobasket Women, officially branded as the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup Centrobasket Qualifiers, was the 25th edition of the women's Central American and Caribbean basketball championship. Eight teams competed in the tournament, which took place at Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Managua, Nicaragua, from 12 to 18 July 2026.[2]

The top three teams qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where they will join the host, El Salvador.

Puerto Rico came into the tournament as four-time defending champions after beating Dominican Republic 95–81 in the 2024 final in Irapuato. Puerto Rico secured their sixth overall title with a victory over Mexico in the final, 82–68. As the top three finishers, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Dominican Republic qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.[3][4]

Qualification

Qualifying tournaments took place between July and November 2025, consisting of two tournaments; teams from Central America competed in the 2025 FIBA COCABA Championship for Women and the Caribbean teams played the 2025 FIBA Women's Caribbean Championship, respectively.

The top three from each championship qualify. Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala who participated in the previous edition, didn't qualify and were replaced by Bahamas, Guyana and Nicaragua.

As of 2028, this is the last time Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala didn't qualify.

QualificationHostDatesVacanciesQualified
Automatic entry–2 Dominican Republic
 Puerto Rico
2025 COCABA ChampionshipNicaragua Managua22–27 July 20253 Mexico
 El Salvador
 Nicaragua (H)
2025 Caribbean ChampionshipGuyana Georgetown12–16 November 20253 Virgin Islands
 Guyana
 Bahamas

Venue

The venue for the entire competition was the Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Nicaragua's capital, Managua. The venue has hosted numerous basketball tournaments, including the 2025 FIBA COCABA Championship for Women and 2025 FIBA AmeriCup. Other competitions held in the arena include Basketball, Boxing and Volleyball at the 2017 Central American Games and the 2024 CONCACAF Futsal Championship.

Managua
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello
Capacity: 8,000

Draw

The draw took place on 4 May 2026 at 13:30 EST at the FIBA Americas’ regional office in Miami, United States.[5] The draw was hosted by competitions manager for FIBA Americas, Oswaldo Piñeiro. The draw started with, in order, pots 1, 2, 3 and 4 being drawn, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically. The position for the team within the group would then be drawn (for the purpose of the schedule). Regarding restrictions, a maximum of two teams from COCABA were allowed in a group.

2026 Centrobasket Women – Draw
YouTube logo
video icon Draw Live Stream

Seeding

The seeding was based on the FIBA Women's World Ranking as of 1 April 2026.[6]

Pot 1
Team Pos
 Puerto Rico13
 Mexico31
Pot 2
Team Pos
 Dominican Republic36
 El Salvador51
Pot 3
Team Pos
 Virgin Islands64
 Bahamas87
Pot 4
Team Pos
 Nicaragua (H)91
 Guyana118

Draw results

Group A
PosTeam
A1 Dominican Republic
A2 Nicaragua (H)
A3 Mexico
A4 Bahamas
Group B
PosTeam
B1 Puerto Rico
B2 El Salvador
B3 Guyana
B4 Virgin Islands

Schedule

Schedule[7]
Round Gameday Date
Preliminary round Gameday 1 12 July 2026
Gameday 2 13 July 2026
Gameday 3 15 July 2026
Final round Qualification to semifinals 16 July 2026
Semi-finals 17 July 2026
Third place
Final
18 July 2026

Squads

Each nation has to submit a list of 12 players.

Referees

The following 13 referees were selected for the tournament.

  • Argentina Franco Anselmo
  • Argentina Romina Belén Morales Ibarra
  • The Bahamas Stevandrae Wells
  • Brazil Mirian Moraes
  • Canada Carriera Lamoureux
  • Chile Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro
  • Colombia Carlos Pallares
  • Dominican Republic Winker Mateo
  • Honduras Sarah Rodriguez
  • Mexico Krishna Dominguez
  • Nicaragua Elisha Lashawn Ullith Hodgson
  • Venezuela Daniel Garcia
  • Uruguay Aline García

Format

The teams were drawn into two groups of four. The group winners advanced directly to the semifinals. The second- and third-placed teams from both groups advanced to the quarterfinals. The bottom teams were dropped to the 5th–8th place playoffs, where they played against the losing quarterfinalists.

Group phase

Classification of teams

  1. Highest number of points earned, with each game result having a corresponding point:
    • Win: 2 points
    • Loss: 1 point
    • Loss by default: 1 point, with a final score of 2–0 for the opponents of the defaulting team if the latter team is not trailing or if the score is tied, or the score at the time of stoppage if they are trailing.
    • Loss by forfeit: 0 points, with a final score of 20–0 for the opponents of the forfeiting team.
  2. Head-to-head record via points system above
  3. Point difference in games among tied teams
  4. Points for in games among tied teams
  5. Point difference in all group games
  6. Points for in all group games

Group A

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 3 3 0 259 197 +62 6 Semifinals
2  Dominican Republic 3 2 1 226 198 +28 5 Quarterfinals
3  Bahamas 3 1 2 209 220 −11 4
4  Nicaragua (H) 3 0 3 187 266 −79 3 5th–8th place semifinals
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
(H) Hosts
12 July 2026
17:00
Dominican Republic  72–69  Bahamas
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 19–24, 9–12, 24–10
Pts: Capellan 20
Rebs: Martinez 11
Asts: Batista 3
Pts: Higgs 25
Rebs: Nesbitt 9
Asts: Nesbitt 5
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 300
Referees: Aline García (URU), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG), Carriera Lamoureux (CAN)
12 July 2026
19:30
Nicaragua  66–103  Mexico
Scoring by quarter: 19–24, 15–28, 25–28, 7–23
Pts: McMiller 36
Rebs: McMiller 9
Asts: Gamble 3
Pts: Jeffries 20
Rebs: Jeffries 12
Asts: Pitts 7
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 550
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI), Sarah Rodriguez (HON)
13 July 2026
17:00
Mexico  75–64  Dominican Republic
Scoring by quarter: 15–20, 22–16, 21–13, 17–15
Pts: Pitts 22
Rebs: Valenzuela 15
Asts: Pitts 9
Pts: Capellan 21
Rebs: Capellan 8
Asts: Queliz 3
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 163
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Carlos Pallares (COL), Sarah Rodriguez (HON)
13 July 2026
19:30
Bahamas  73–67  Nicaragua
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 15–14, 21–15, 16–17
Pts: Higgs 25
Rebs: Collins, Moultrie 10
Asts: Collins, Higgs 3
Pts: McMiller 21
Rebs: McMiller 11
Asts: McMiller 9
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 1,600
Referees: Krishna Dominguez (MEX), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG), Mirian Moraes (BRA)
15 July 2026
12:00
Mexico  81–67  Bahamas
Scoring by quarter: 14–20, 24–15, 29–17, 14–15
Pts: Chavez 16
Rebs: Valenzuela 10
Asts: Pitts 6
Pts: Higgs 23
Rebs: Collins 7
Asts: Nesbitt 3
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 120
Referees: Orlando Varela (HON), Mirian Moraes (BRA), Carriera Lamoureux (CAN)
15 July 2026
19:30
Nicaragua  54–90  Dominican Republic
Scoring by quarter: 15–25, 14–23, 12–21, 13–21
Pts: McMiller 24
Rebs: McMiller 8
Asts: Hodgson, McMiller 2
Pts: Martinez 21
Rebs: Almon 12
Asts: Jimenez 7
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 800
Referees: Aline García (URU), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  Puerto Rico 3 3 0 273 159 +114 6 Semifinals
2  Virgin Islands 3 2 1 246 199 +47 5 Quarterfinals
3  El Salvador 3 1 2 166 267 −101 4
4  Guyana 3 0 3 205 265 −60 3 5th–8th place semifinals
Source: FIBA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head results; 3) Points difference; 4) Points scored.
12 July 2026
12:00
El Salvador  85–84 (OT)  Guyana
Scoring by quarter: 6–23, 20–20, 29–19, 20–13, Overtime: 10–9
Pts: Harvey-Carr 31
Rebs: Harvey-Carr 12
Asts: Alfaro, Tevez 7
Pts: R. Adams 33
Rebs: Adams 15
Asts: J. Adams 10
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 200
Referees: Carlos Pallares (COL), Winker Mateo (DOM), Stevandrae Wells (BAH)
12 July 2026
14:30
Puerto Rico  81–75  Virgin Islands
Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 23–16, 18–15, 18–26
Pts: Gonzalez 21
Rebs: McGee-Stafford 13
Asts: Rosado 8
Pts: George 28
Rebs: George 12
Asts: Bough, Ephraim 5
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 185
Referees: Franco Anselmo (ARG), Mirian Moraes (BRA), Elisha Lashawn Ullith Hodgson (NCA)
13 July 2026
12:00
Virgin Islands  84–47  El Salvador
Scoring by quarter: 27–12, 21–10, 17–16, 19–9
Pts: Ephraim 17
Rebs: George 13
Asts: Bough 8
Pts: Tevez 11
Rebs: Harvey-Carr 8
Asts: Alfaro 4
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 100
Referees: Orlando Varela (HON), Franco Anselmo (ARG), Winker Mateo (DOM)
13 July 2026
14:30
Guyana  50–93  Puerto Rico
Scoring by quarter: 13–26, 13–25, 14–16, 10–26
Pts: J. Adams 15
Rebs: J. Adams 14
Asts: J. Adams 6
Pts: Torres 19
Rebs: Pagán 12
Asts: De Leon 8
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 150
Referees: Aline García (URU), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI), Carriera Lamoureux (CAN)
15 July 2026
14:30
Virgin Islands  87–71  Guyana
Scoring by quarter: 19–16, 25–17, 20–17, 23–21
Pts: Tate 18
Rebs: Kleemann-Day 9
Asts: Bough, Tate 6
Pts: J. Adams 18
Rebs: J. Adams 15
Asts: J. Adams 5
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 120
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Sarah Rodriguez (HON), Elisha Lashawn Ullith Hodgson (NCA)
15 July 2026
17:00
El Salvador  34–99  Puerto Rico
Scoring by quarter: 11–33, 14–19, 2–28, 7–19
Pts: Avilés 7
Rebs: Vega 8
Asts: five players 2
Pts: Torres 13
Rebs: McGee-Stafford 14
Asts: De Leon 8
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 210
Referees: Krishna Dominguez (MEX), Carlos Pallares (COL), Stevandrae Wells (BAH)

Playoffs

Bracket

5th place game5th–8th place semifinalsQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
B4 Guyana66A1 Mexico65
A3 Bahamas57B2 Virgin Islands62
B2 Virgin Islands74
A3 Bahamas59
 Guyana87 Mexico68
 Nicaragua92 Puerto Rico82
7th place gameA4 Nicaragua92B1 Puerto Rico903rd place game
B3 El Salvador75A2 Dominican Republic80
 Bahamas80A2 Dominican Republic93 Virgin Islands69
 El Salvador65B3 El Salvador60 Dominican Republic102

Quarterfinals

16 July 2026
17:30
Virgin Islands  74–59  Bahamas
Scoring by quarter: 20–13, 14–28, 23–10, 17–8
Pts: Tate 16
Rebs: George 9
Asts: Bough 8
Pts: Collins 20
Rebs: Collins 16
Asts: Nesbitt 4
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 250
Referees: Orlando Varela (HON), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG)
16 July 2026
20:00
Dominican Republic  93–60  El Salvador
Scoring by quarter: 28–15, 24–12, 23–17, 18–16
Pts: Martinez 16
Rebs: Almon 8
Asts: Almon 5
Pts: Escobar 13
Rebs: Harvey-Carr 11
Asts: Escobar 5
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 118
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Aline García (URU), Mirian Moraes (BRA)

5th–8th place semifinals

17 July 2026
12:00
Guyana  66–57  Bahamas
Scoring by quarter: 12–13, 12–19, 25–12, 17–13
Pts: R. Adams 24
Rebs: J. Adams 17
Asts: three players 5
Pts: Collins 16
Rebs: Nesbitt 10
Asts: Nesbitt 8
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 106
Referees: Franco Anselmo (ARG), Sarah Rodriguez (HON) Winker Mateo (DOM)
17 July 2026
14:30
Nicaragua  92–75  El Salvador
Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 19–22, 33–18, 21–18
Pts: McMiller 33
Rebs: McMiller 13
Asts: McMiller 7
Pts: Escobar, Harvey-Carr 18
Rebs: Harvey-Carr 12
Asts: Avilés, Escobar 3
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 247
Referees: Krishna Dominguez (MEX), Carlos Pallares (COL), Carriera Lamoureux (CAN)

7th place game

18 July 2026
12:00
El Salvador  65–80  Bahamas
Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 13–22, 11–14, 21–24
Pts: Harvey-Carr 27
Rebs: Harvey-Carr 9
Asts: Escobar 6
Pts: Moultrie 25
Rebs: Moultrie 11
Asts: Nesbitt 8
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 5
Referees: Carlos Pallares (COL), Carriera Lamoureux (CAN), Elisha Lashawn Ullith Hodgson (NCA)

5th place game

18 July 2026
14:30
Nicaragua  92–87 (OT)  Guyana
Scoring by quarter: 26–15, 14–15, 21–18, 17–30, Overtime: 14–9
Pts: McMiller 33
Rebs: Alvarez 13
Asts: Alvarez 7
Pts: Mc David 23
Rebs: J. Adams 22
Asts: J. Adams 8
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 200
Referees: Krishna Dominguez (MEX), Sarah Rodriguez (HON), Stevandrae Wells (BAH)

Semifinals

17 July 2026
17:00
Puerto Rico  90–80  Dominican Republic
Scoring by quarter: 20–29, 29–17, 17–23, 24–11
Pts: McGee-Stafford 19
Rebs: McGee-Stafford 10
Asts: Rosado 11
Pts: Capellan 22
Rebs: Sosa 11
Asts: Jimenez, Martinez 4
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 250
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Aline García (URU), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI)
17 July 2026
19:30
Mexico  65–62  Virgin Islands
Scoring by quarter: 15–13, 23–18, 9–17, 18–14
Pts: Pitts 17
Rebs: Valenzuela 10
Asts: Jeffries 4
Pts: Kleemann-Day 20
Rebs: Ephraim 8
Asts: Tate 7
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 300
Referees: Orlando Varela (HON), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG), Mirian Moraes (BRA)

3rd place game

18 July 2026
17:00
Virgin Islands  69–102  Dominican Republic
Scoring by quarter: 12–29, 12–29, 23–27, 22–17
Pts: Tate 25
Rebs: Jones 6
Asts: Tate 5
Pts: Martinez 20
Rebs: Morton 6
Asts: Morton 6
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 350
Referees: Daniel Garcia (VEN), Orlando Varela (HON), Franco Anselmo (ARG)

Final

18 July 2026
19:30
Mexico  68–82  Puerto Rico
Scoring by quarter: 19–14, 11–26, 18–24, 20–18
Pts: Esquer 15
Rebs: Jeffries 6
Asts: Jeffries 5
Pts: Benitez, Gonzalez 20
Rebs: McGee-Stafford 10
Asts: Rosado 5
Polideportivo Alexis Argüello, Managua
Attendance: 400
Referees: Aline García (URU), Romina Belén Morales Ibarra (ARG), Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro (CHI)

Final standings

Pos Team Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Puerto Rico 5 5 0 445 307 +138 10 Qualified for the
2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Mexico 5 4 1 392 341 +51 9
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Dominican Republic 6 4 2 501 417 +84 10
4  Virgin Islands 6 3 3 451 425 +26 9
5  Nicaragua 5 2 3 371 428 −57 7
6  Guyana 5 1 4 358 414 −56 6
7  Bahamas 6 2 4 405 425 −20 8
8  El Salvador 6 1 5 366 532 −166 7 Qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup as hosts
Source: FIBA

Awards

2026 Centrobasket Women

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Sixth title

Team roster: Franchesca Torres, Tayra Melendez, Brianna Jones, Nina De Leon, Abeliz Rodriguez Santiago, Pamela Rosado, Zaida Gonzalez, Sofia Roma, Denise Solis, India Pagán, Imani McGee-Stafford, Jacqueline Benitez.
Head Coach: Gerardo Batista

Player awards

All-Tournament Team[9]
Puerto Rico Imani McGee-Stafford
Mexico Mariana Valenzuela
Dominican Republic Cesarina Capellán
United States Virgin Islands Anisha George
Nicaragua Kiyomi McMiller
MVP
Puerto Rico Imani McGee-Stafford

Notable statistics

  • Highest attended game: 1,600 (Bahamas 73–67 Nicaragua, 13 July)
  • Lowest attended game: 5 (El Salvador 65–80 Bahamas, 18 July)
  • Most points in a game: 179 (Nicaragua 92–87 Guyana, 18 July)
  • Fewest points in a game: 123 (Guyana 66–57 Bahamas, 17 July)
  • Most points by a team in a game: 102 (Virgin Islands 69–102 Dominican Republic, 18 July)
  • Fewest points by a team in a game: 34 (El Salvador 34–99 Puerto Rico, 15 July)
  • Biggest points difference in a game: 65 (El Salvador 34–99 Puerto Rico, 15 July)
  • Biggest half time deficit in a game: 34 (Virgin Islands 24–58 Dominican Republic, 18 July)
  • Most points scored by a player in a game: 36 (Kiyomi McMiller vs Mexico, 12 July)

References

Matchday reports

  1. ↑ "Competition Stats - FIBA Centrobasket Women's Championship 2026 | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball.
  2. ↑ "Nicaragua to host the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2027 Centrobasket Qualifiers". www.fiba.basketball. April 30, 2026. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Mexico, Puerto Rico qualify for the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2027". www.fiba.basketball. July 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ "July 18 Recap: Puerto Rico reign again; Dominican Republic claim the podium". www.fiba.basketball.
  5. ↑ "Opponents confirmed for Centrobasket Qualifiers to FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2027". www.fiba.basketball. May 4, 2026. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ "FIBA World Ranking for Women presented by NIKE | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. Archived from the original on 2024-12-22. Retrieved 2026-07-21.
  7. ↑ "Game schedule" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2027 Centrobasket Qualifiers schedule announced". www.fiba.basketball. June 24, 2026. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  9. ↑ "McGee-Stafford named FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2027 Centrobasket Qualifiers MVP". www.fiba.basketball. July 19, 2026. Archived from the original on July 21, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.