MANAGUA, Nicaragua, August 31, 2026. – The 2026 NORCECA U23 Women’s Pan American Cup is ready to begin this Tuesday, September 1, at the Polideportivo Alexis Argüello in Managua, with the teams motivated to start the competition and take advantage of another opportunity for international development.
This edition will be played under a round-robin format, allowing all teams to face each other before the final round. The teams finishing first and second will play for the title, third and fourth will compete for the bronze medal, and fifth and sixth will face each other for fifth place, providing all teams with valuable competition and development opportunities.
The United States enters as defending champion, joined by Canada and Mexico, medalists from the previous edition. Also competing are the Dominican Republic, the tournament’s all-time leader in gold medals; Costa Rica; and host Nicaragua.
Matthew Krueger, head coach of Canada: “Last year we finished second, and I think we have had some good matches and have seen how much our team has grown. We are motivated for this competition, with very good teams pushing us to perform at the highest level possible, and with the goal of winning a medal. The round-robin system followed by a final is very good; we will play against every team and we are excited to compete against all of them. It is something very positive for the development of our athletes.”
Braulio Godínez, head coach of Costa Rica: “This age group and this championship are very important because they provide ranking points toward qualification for the Junior Pan American Games. We had the honor of participating last year, and it is a very important and motivating event for the athletes, especially in countries like ours where they are not professionals. Having the opportunity to attend those events motivates them greatly to remain active in volleyball.”
“We also have the senior national team coach with us here, so this is an opportunity for them to catch his attention and show what they are capable of doing, because this is precisely the age group before the senior national team. The competition system is also much better because, when you play in pools, sometimes there are teams you do not get the chance to face. Here we are going to play against every opponent, and I think it is a very nice format.”
Wagner Pacheco, head coach of the Dominican Republic: “As always, the Dominican Republic wants to do a good job, and we will try to go as far as possible. We have a mix of young and U23 players, already thinking about the future. We want to experiment with many players, test them, play and continue developing them. We have a good core; four of them have already played extensively in other age groups for several years. We also have many junior players, some even from younger age categories, and I think we are going to do a good job.”
Luis León López, head coach of Mexico: “We are very excited to be in this competition. Last year, Mexico’s U23 team won the silver medal at the Junior Pan American Games and earned bronze at the U23 Pan American Cup in Mexico. This year, some players return in this age group and we have a competitive team. Expectations are high, although we know it will be very difficult because of the level of the teams here. The idea is to follow the players from U17 so that most of them move on to U19, then U21, U23 and, for those who can, eventually reach the senior national team.”
Claudia Noguera, head coach of Nicaragua: “It is a great opportunity to play against every team. Usually, when we go to these types of events, we play in pools and do not have the opportunity to face everyone. We know there is a high level coming to compete here in Nicaragua, but we have prepared ourselves to put on a good performance.”
“It is nice to see the players’ development because, starting at the U17 level, we keep meeting them at every tournament, including players from other countries, and many bonds have been formed. Our players have also lost that fear of facing teams at that level.”
Alexandra Dunphy, head coach of the United States: “The team we are bringing is very young, but we are very excited to compete and do everything possible to win. I think the girls could easily compete in a U19 tournament. Before this competition, we had a national championship, and the best players were selected from there to come together in Colorado Springs and prepare for this event. They come from different states, and we had a very short training block, but we are ready to represent the United States.”
Preliminary round matches will begin at 3:00 p.m. each day.
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