The national women’s basketball team will return to regional competition on the big stage when they contest the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2027 – Centrobasket Qualifier 2026, scheduled for July 12-18 at the Alexis Argüello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua.

The Guyanese side booked their place at the tournament after finishing second at the FIBA Women’s Caribbean Championship, hosted at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall last year.

Their qualification marks another important step in the country’s growing presence in women’s regional basketball, as they prepare to face some of the strongest teams in the Americas zone.

Guyana (R28) has been placed in Group B alongside powerhouse Puerto Rico (R4), El Salvador (R11), and the Virgin Islands (R12).

Group A consists of hosts Nicaragua (R19), Mexico (R7),the Bahamas (R18), and the Dominican Republic (R8), setting the stage for a highly competitive tournament featuring some of the region’s most established basketball nations.

The championship, organised under FIBA, also serves as a qualifier for the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2027.

This edition introduces a new competition format designed to increase competitiveness and clarity in the pathway to qualification.

The competition will begin with a Group Phase, where teams will compete in a round-robin format.

The first-place team from each group will advance directly to the Semi-Finals, while the last-place teams from each group will move into the classification round to compete for positions 5th through 8th.

The second -place teams will face the third-place teams from the opposite group (2B vs. 3A and 2A vs. 3B), with the winners advancing to the Semi-Finals to face the respective group leaders. The losing teams from those crossover matchups will join the last-place teams in the classification round for positions 5th through 8th.

The winners of the Semi-Finals will compete in the Final for the Gold Medal, while the remaining teams will play for the Bronze Medal.

At the end of the competition, the top three teams will secure qualification for the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2027 and will join El Salvador, which has already qualified automatically as host of the continental tournament.

According to the Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF), Guyana will enter the tournament aware of the challenge ahead, particularly in a group that includes Puerto Rico, which remains the dominant force in the competition.

The Puerto Rican women’s team has won the last four editions of the CentroBasket tournament, previously known as the Centrobasket Women’s Championship, underlining the level of opposition Guyana will face.

Despite the tough draw, the GBF noted that Guyana will be aiming to build on their recent progress and test themselves against higher-ranked opponents, with the long-term goal of securing a historic AmeriCup qualification.

The exposure, the GBF said, is also expected to play a key role in the continued development of the women’s game in Guyana.

As the tournament approaches, attention will turn to preparation and squad readiness, with Guyana hoping to deliver competitive performances on one of the region’s most important stages.

Group Phase Schedule
Sun 12 Jul  – ESA vs GUY
Mon 13 Jul – GUY vs PUR
Wed 15 Jul – GUY vs ISV

You can re-live the 2026 FIBA Women’s Centrobasket Championship Draw Ceremony by accessing the following link: https://youtube.com/live/SVlRkgLZ7ZA?feature=share