2026 Centrobasket Women
International basketball competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Nicaragua |
| City | Managua |
| Dates | 12–18 July |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue | 1 (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 played | 22 |
| Attendance | 6,318 (287 per game) |
| MVP | Imani McGee-Stafford |
| Top scorer |  Kiyomi McMiller (147 points)[1] |
| Official website | |
| Managua 2026 | |
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.
| Qualification | Host | Dates | Vacancies | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic entry | – | 2 | Dominican Republic Puerto Rico | |
| 2025 COCABA Championship | Managua | 22–27 July 2025 | 3 | Mexico El Salvador Nicaragua (H) |
| 2025 Caribbean Championship |  Georgetown | 12–16 November 2025 | 3 | 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.
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 | |
 | |
 Draw Live Stream |
Seeding
The seeding was based on the FIBA Women's World Ranking as of 1 April 2026.[6]
| Team | Pos |
|---|---|
| Puerto Rico | 13 |
| Mexico | 31 |
| Team | Pos |
|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | 36 |
| El Salvador | 51 |
| Team | Pos |
|---|---|
| Virgin Islands | 64 |
| Bahamas | 87 |
Draw results
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| A1 | Dominican Republic |
| A2 | Nicaragua (H) |
| A3 | Mexico |
| A4 | Bahamas |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| 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.
Franco Anselmo- Romina Belén Morales Ibarra
Stevandrae Wells
Mirian Moraes
Carriera Lamoureux
Mariajesus Rocio Gonzalez Chaparro
Carlos Pallares
Winker Mateo
Sarah Rodriguez
Krishna Dominguez
Elisha Lashawn Ullith Hodgson
Daniel Garcia
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
- The schedule was announced on 24 June 2026.[8]
- All times are local (Central Standard Time; UTC−6).
Classification of teams
- 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.
- Head-to-head record via points system above
- Point difference in games among tied teams
- Points for in games among tied teams
- Point difference in all group games
- 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 |
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 |
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 game | 5th–8th place semifinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| B4 | Guyana | 66 | A1 | Mexico | 65 | ||||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Bahamas | 57 | B2 | Virgin Islands | 62 | ||||||||||||||||||
| B2 | Virgin Islands | 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Bahamas | 59 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Guyana | 87 | Mexico | 68 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicaragua | 92 | Puerto Rico | 82 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th place game | A4 | Nicaragua | 92 | B1 | Puerto Rico | 90 | 3rd place game | ||||||||||||||||
| B3 | El Salvador | 75 | A2 | Dominican Republic | 80 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bahamas | 80 | A2 | Dominican Republic | 93 | Virgin Islands | 69 | |||||||||||||||||
| El Salvador | 65 | B3 | El Salvador | 60 | Dominican Republic | 102 | |||||||||||||||||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Puerto Rico |
5 | 5 | 0 | 445 | 307 | +138 | 10 | Qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup |
 |
Mexico |
5 | 4 | 1 | 392 | 341 | +51 | 9 | |
 |
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 |
Awards
| 2026 Centrobasket Women
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. |
Player awards
| All-Tournament Team[9] |
|---|
| Imani McGee-Stafford Mariana Valenzuela Cesarina Capellán Anisha George Kiyomi McMiller |
| MVP |
| 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)
.svg){kind=small}
