SANTIAGO (Chile) - Colombia will play in the Qualifying Tournaments for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 after defeating the Dominican Republic 81-53 in the first classification game of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025. With the win, the South Americans guaranteed at least a sixth-place finish in the tournament held in Santiago, Chile. From the second quarter onward, Colombia paved the way for victory with high defensive intensity and solid shooting efficiency. The team will now play for fifth place against the winner of the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico matchup.
Turning point
The Colombian side put together a 16-0 run at the start of the second quarter to take a 19-point lead (36-17), and from there, it was smooth sailing. Head coach Luis Cuenca was able to rotate his lineup and give play time to 11 of the 12 players on the roster.
TCL player of the game
Center Yuliany Paz stood out with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. The Indeportes Antioquia player from the Colombian league shot 50 percent from the field and also recorded 4 blocks, bringing her career total in the tournament to 32. That places her second all-time (since 2003), behind only Canada’s Miranda Ayim (33).
It was Paz’s first career double-double in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, setting new personal highs for both points and rebounds. Her previous bests were 12 points and 11 boards. For the Dominican Republic, Cesarina Capellán stood out with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Stats don’t lie
Colombia outrebounded the Dominicans 56-49 (a new team record for the Colombians in an AmeriCup game), dished out more assists (23-8), and delivered an all-around solid performance, shooting 41 percent from the field compared to just 26 percent for their opponents.
Bottom line
Colombia will head to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments, aiming to qualify for the second time in its history. The only previous appearance came in 1975 when the country hosted the event. With one more win in the classification stage, Colombia would match the fifth-place finish achieved in the last three editions of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup.
They said
Yuliany Paz emphasized that the team came in focused and determined to keep their World Cup dream alive. “We knew this was a very important game for us because playing in a World Cup would be a dream. Today, the team needed my points and my rebounds, and everything worked out well,” said the center at the postgame press conference.
FIBA