MIAMI (United States) – In about two weeks, the lights will come on at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos in Santiago, Chile, for the opening day of the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025. Several national teams have already released their preliminary rosters. They are starting to prepare for the competition, making it the perfect time for our first SMART Power Rankings to assess where each team stands heading into the tournament. These rankings are not directly related to the FIBA Women’s World Ranking, presented by Nike. Instead, they reflect factors such as current form, recent results, player availability and projected performance within their respective groups.
1. BRA
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 10th For this initial edition, Brazil holds the top spot as the defending champion. Additionally, it is expected that their two WNBA stars, Kamilla Cardoso and Damiris Dantas, will join the team just days before the tournament begins, even though the WNBA season will still be in progress. The team boasts great potential, with young, highly talented players recently integrated into the squad. They’ve also added a new head coach the experienced American Pokey Chatman. That means the team is in a transitional phase, so we’ll have to see how they respond.
2. USA
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 1st No, this isn’t a mistake. The United States is not ranked first. How is it possible that the reigning Olympic and World champions aren’t at the top? The reason is that as in recent editions of the Women’s AmeriCup, the team will be composed of college players. These NCAA athletes are incredibly talented and fully capable of winning the title, but they’re still in a developmental phase. Kara Lawson, a former Women’s AmeriCup champion as a player and assistant coach at the Paris Olympics, will take the helm as head coach.
3. CAN
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 7th The Canadians have won two of the last five editions of the tournament and have finished on the podium in the past eight. That consistency makes them the second-best team in the Americas behind only the USA. Their WNBA players will not participate but they have immense talent spread across top European leagues and the NCAA, which will provide their team with a competitive advantage.
4. PUR
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 12th It’s been said over and over: Puerto Rico is the most improved team in the region over the past decade, guided by coach Gerardo Batista, who returns to the bench. The team is coming off its second consecutive Olympic appearance and won its fourth straight Centrobasket Women’s Championship title last year. Most of the core group from those two major 2024 events is expected to return.
5. ARG
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 31st Since winning silver at the 2017 Women’s AmeriCup, Argentina hasn’t been able to replicate a similar performance. However, there are reasons for optimism this time around. The team recently won the 2024 South American Women’s Championship, defeating Brazil in the final. They did it without two key players, Andrea Boquete and Luciana Delabarba— both of whom are now included in the preliminary roster alongside standouts like Florencia Chagas, Melisa Gretter, and Agostina Burani.
6. COL
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 30th Colombia has finished fifth in three consecutive Women’s AmeriCups with nearly the same core of players—Mabel Martínez, Jenifer Muñoz, Manuela Ríos, Yuliany Paz, among others—and coach Luis Cuenca is back as well. This team has been together for so long that their greatest strength is chemistry, beyond their size and offensive skill. The big question is: Can they finally break into the top four?
7. DOM
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 34th After years of inconsistency, the Dominican Republic made a strong statement at the last Centrobasket Women’s Championship by winning silver. At just 22, Cesarina Capellán has emerged as a true leader and was a standout in that tournament. Alongside Esmery Martínez and veteran Yohanna Morton, they form a dangerous offensive trio. Don’t sleep on the Dominicans—they could cause some upsets.
8. MEX
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 38th Mexico hasn’t achieved a major continental result lately, but in the 2024 FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament, which they hosted, they showed significant promise. They defeated teams like Mozambique and New Zealand and nearly beat European sides like Montenegro (74–71) and the Czech Republic (82–72). With intriguing players like Claudia Ramos, Hazel Ramírez, and Myriam Lara, the team could become even more competitive if prospects Gabriela Jaquez and Anisa Jeffreis join the roster. That might give them their best finish since placing sixth at the 2011 Women’s AmeriCup.
9. CHI
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 70th Chile enters the Women’s AmeriCup with the lowest FIBA ranking among all participating teams, but being the host nation brings a wave of excitement. The first goal will be to make a good impression in front of the home crowd, then aim to get out of the tough Group B and into the Quarterfinals. Argentinian coach Cristian Santander shared that the team will be made up of very young players, but they’ve been preparing for a long time, as monthly training camps have been underway since January. That makes them the team with the longest preparation period heading into the competition.
10. ESA
FIBA Women’s World Ranking presented by Nike: 56th El Salvador made a strong impression in the 2024 Centrobasket Women’s Championship, knocking out none other than historical powerhouse Cuba. With that win, they earned a well-deserved spot in the top women’s tournament of the region, only their second appearance ever (the first was in 2021). The trio of Hillary Martínez, Destiny Campbell, and Emily Tévez had outstanding performances in the last Centrobasket. Anything this team achieves will likely depend on the impact of those three players. DISCLAIMER: The Power Rankings are completely subjective and in no way represent an official or precise ranking system. All comments reflect the author’s opinions.
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