FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 – Team Profile: Mexico

MIAMI (United States) – Mexico showcased its potential with a solid performance at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 2026 Pre-Qualifying Tournament, which it hosted last year. There, the Mexican team defeated Mozambique and New Zealand, and narrowly lost to Montenegro (71–74) and Czech Republic (72–82), finishing fourth overall.

The team later wrapped up 2024 by placing third at the Centrobasket Women’s Championship, another tournament held on home soil. Mexico has every reason to arrive at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup with confidence because of these recent results. The team hopes to improve on their last five appearances at the continental event, where they have not finished higher than sixth place. Mexico currently ranks No. 38 in the FIBA Women's World Ranking presented by Nike, and No. 9 in the Americas.

Tournament history

Mexico debuted in the first edition of the tournament in 1989 and has participated in 12 of the 18 editions. Its best results to date have been fourth-place finishes in 1999 and 2003. This will mark its third consecutive appearance, matching its longest streak of participations (1999, 2001, and 2003).

Players to watch

Gabriela Jáquez was the standout player for Mexico at last year’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament. The 21-year-old, who plays at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), made her senior national team debut with impressive averages of 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. In the most recent NCAA season, she posted 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 26.3 minutes per game.

Veteran players Hazel Ramírez, Claudia Ramos, and Myriam Lara are consistent on the court. Ramírez was named to the Centrobasket All-Star Five after averaging 16.2 points per game (42% from three) and 7.2 assists. Ramos contributed 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds during the World Cup Pre-Qualifiers, while Lara tallied 10.3 points and 7.5 boards in the Centrobasket tournament. Young prospects Anisa Jeffries and Mayra Gil are also worth keeping an eye on.

Head coach: Desralee Abeyta

Abeyta joined the Mexican national team as an assistant under fellow American coach Lindsey Harding, who stepped down after taking a job with the Los Angeles Lakers' coaching staff. This will be Abeyta’s first experience as Mexico’s head coach. Mitchell Thompson led the team at Centrobasket as part of Harding’s staff.

Abeyta brings experience from the U.S. college basketball scene. She previously served as an assistant at UC Davis, was a head coach at Sonoma State University, and is currently an assistant coach at Santa Clara University. She was also on Harding’s staff with the South Sudan women’s national team.

Outlook

If Mexico can count on its full roster, it will be competitive against any opponent. Otherwise, the road could be difficult. The team’s primary goal is to earn one of the six available spots for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments. To do that, they’ll need to improve on their 8th-place finish in 2023. They’ll play in Group B alongside host nation Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States.

Last 10 FIBA events

Also read

FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 – Team Profile: Colombia

FIBA