DOHA, Qatar, August 24, 2026 – Cuba and Mexico concluded their participation in the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, after finishing the preliminary round with 0-3 records in their respective pools.
Cuba completed its Pool B campaign with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 26-24) loss to defending champions Italy.
The Cubans challenged Italy in a closely contested opening set and again pushed their opponents in the third, which extended beyond the 25-point mark. Cuba also remained competitive at the net, finishing with eight blocks compared to Italy’s 10.
Captain Reinaldo Márquez led Cuba with 11 points, while Dalian Isnel La O contributed eight. Italy held the advantage from the service line with eight aces compared to one for Cuba.
Cuba finished fourth in Pool B with a 0-3 record.
Mexico also concluded its participation on Monday, falling to Poland 3-1 (28-30, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20) in its final Pool C match.
Mexico opened strongly and prevailed in an extended first set 30-28 before Poland responded by winning the following three sets.
Francisco Sebastian Merino Romero delivered an outstanding individual performance for Mexico, finishing with 31 points on 29 attacks and two blocks. The 16-year-old outside hitter became the first player to score 30 or more points in a match at the 2026 edition.
His 31-point performance also tied him for second place on the tournament’s all-time single-match scoring list, behind Chinese Taipei’s Pin-Yen Huan, who established the record with 40 points in 2024.
Mexico finished its Pool C campaign with a 0-3 record, bringing its participation in the 2026 Boys’ U17 World Championship to a close.
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