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.
The top three teams qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, where they will join the host, .
came into the tournament as four-time defending champions after beating 95–81 in the 2024 final in Irapuato. Puerto Rico secured their sixth overall title with a victory over in the final, 82–68. As the top three finishers, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Dominican Republic qualified for the 2027 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.
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. , and who participated in the previous edition, didn't qualify and were replaced by , and .
As of 2028, this is the last time Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala didn't qualify.
Qualification Host Dates Vacancies QualifiedAutomatic entry – 2 2025 COCABA Championship Managua 22–27 July 2025 3 (H)2025 Caribbean Championship Georgetown12–16 November 2025 3
Venue The venue for the entire competition was the 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.
ManaguaCapacity: 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. 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.
Seeding The seeding was based on the FIBA Women's World Ranking as of 1 April 2026.
+ Pot 1Team 13 31 + Pot 2Team 36 51 + Pot 3Team 64 87 + Pot 4Team (H) 91 118
Draw results + Group A TeamA1 A2 (H)A3 A4 + Group B TeamB1 B2 B3 B4
Schedule
ScheduleRoundGamedayDatePreliminary roundGameday 1 12 July 2026Gameday 2 13 July 2026Gameday 3 15 July 2026Final roundQualification to semifinals 16 July 2026Semi-finals 17 July 2026Third placeFinal 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. 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
Group B
Playoffs Bracket
Quarterfinals
5th–8th place semifinals
7th place game
5th place game
Semifinals
3rd place game
Final
Final standings
Awards 2026 Centrobasket Women Puerto RicoSixth 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 Benítez.Head Coach: Gerardo Batista
Player awards
All-Tournament Team Imani McGee-Stafford Mariana Valenzuela Cesarina Capellán Anisha George Kiyomi McMillerMVP 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 ReferenceGameday 1Gameday 2Gameday 3Gameday 4Gameday 5Gameday 6Gameday 7
External links
Official website