SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 12, 2026.- NORCECA Volleyball Confederation President Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz and Dominican Republic Minister of Sports Kelvin Cruz led a press conference where details of the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship, to be held in Santo Domingo and followed by the Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament for Los Angeles 2028, were presented.
The “Prof. Ricardo Gioriber Arias” Volleyball Palace will host the competition, which will bring together eight national teams from the Confederation: Dominican Republic, United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa Rica.
The Continental Championship will be held from August 21 to 26 and will carry additional importance on the international calendar, as it will award three berths to the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship.
Marte Hoffiz explained that following the conclusion of the Continental Championship, the top four teams will advance to the Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament. The semifinals will be played on August 28, with the first-place team facing the fourth-place team and the second-place team meeting the third-place team. The winners will play in the final on August 29 for the available berth to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The United States, which will also compete in the Continental Championship, has already qualified for the Olympic Games as the host nation of Los Angeles 2028.
Dominican Republic, the reigning NORCECA Continental champion, is in Pool B alongside Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Costa Rica. The hosts will begin their campaign on August 21 at 8:30 p.m. against Costa Rica.
Pool A consists of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Marte Hoffiz also thanked the Dominican Government and the Ministry of Sports for their support in organizing the competition, highlighting the backing received to allow Santo Domingo to once again host a top-level international event.
For his part, Minister Kelvin Cruz reiterated the Government’s commitment to women’s volleyball and called on Dominican fans to once again support the Reinas del Caribe.
“The Reinas del Caribe are the queens of the Ministry and the queens of the country. We have spared no effort in supporting them because they deserve it; they are a national brand, and that carries great value,” Cruz said.
The minister also highlighted that the Dominican national team will once again compete in front of its home fans at the renovated “Prof. Ricardo Gioriber Arias” Volleyball Palace, which recently hosted the volleyball competitions of the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.
Also present at the press conference were Dominican Volleyball Federation (FEDOVOLI) President Alexis García; Dominican Olympic Committee President Garibaldy Bautista; Women’s National Team Program General Director Milagros Cabral; and Dominican national team head coach Marcos Kwiek, along with members of the Reinas del Caribe.
Bautista congratulated the Dominican national team on its recent results and wished the team success in the upcoming Continental Championship.
Dominican Republic will defend the title it won in 2023, when it defeated the United States in five sets in the final held in Quebec, Canada.
Tickets for the competition are available through Uepa Tickets.
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