MANAGUA, Nicaragua, October 14, 2026.- The AFECAVOL Women’s Central American Final Four Championship, which begins this Thursday, October 15, at the Volleyball Gymnasium of the Nicaraguan Sports Institute (IND), featuring Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize and Guatemala, will award the champion a direct berth to the 2027 Women’s Pan American Cup.
AFECAVOL Secretary General and Control Committee President Carlos Enrique Santis emphasized the importance of the competition to the participating delegations. The tournament brings together the four highest-ranked teams based on the results of the 2025 Central American Games.
Nicaragua, the host nation and two-time defending champion, will seek its third consecutive title. Head coach Claudia Noguera highlighted her team’s preparation and motivation to defend the championship in front of its home crowd. “This is a major challenge for us. We have participated in other international tournaments, such as the Pan American Cup, which have given us the competitive experience we needed. We have a fairly young but very determined team that is committed to defending its title with great determination. The players are very excited to represent their country on home soil, and that is a great source of motivation for them,” Noguera said.
Guatemala, meanwhile, will make its Women’s Final Four debut under head coach Julio Domínguez, who highlighted the team’s generational transition and the experience gained in international competitions. “We are going through a significant generational change, but we are very motivated to participate in this Final Four, having missed the first two editions. We competed in a Pan American Cup, where we gained valuable experience with this new team. We want to represent our country well. We know there are strong teams in the region, but we are coming in with a competitive mindset and want to have a good tournament,” Domínguez said.
Costa Rica head coach Ciro Zoratti explained that his team has focused its preparation on this competition, although it will enter the tournament with some roster changes due to university commitments involving several players. “This is one of the most important competitions of our season, and we have focused on this event. Unfortunately, we have faced difficulties securing the availability of some players due to the university championship in Costa Rica and the commitments of others attending universities in the United States. We have worked very hard to field the best possible team. We have high expectations, but we know the other teams are strong, and we expect some very competitive matches,” Zoratti said.
Belize was unable to attend the preliminary meeting, as its arrival in Managua was scheduled for Wednesday evening. Its preliminary interview will take place on Thursday morning.
The tournament will run from October 15 to 18. During the first three days, the teams will compete in a round-robin format, with each team playing three matches. The top two teams in the standings will advance to the gold medal match, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams will compete for the bronze medal on Sunday, October 18.
Thursday’s opening day will begin at 4:30 p.m. with Costa Rica facing Guatemala, followed by Nicaragua taking on Belize at 7:00 p.m.