SANTIAGO (Chile) – And then there were four— Brazil, Argentina, United States, and Canada reached the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 Semi-Finals after their respective victories on Friday at Centro de Deportes Colectivos in Santiago, Chile. That sets up a pair of regional showdowns, as the South American countries will go head-to-head in a new edition of their rivalry while the North American powerhouses will do the same on the opposite side of the bracket.
Brazil vs. Argentina
Both teams are trending up coming into this Semi-Final. Brazil is riding a 13-game winning streak and seems to have no flaws, while Argentina bounced back from a 0-2 start with three straight victories. The Brazilian team holds the edge in size and depth, but Argentina is the last team to push them at the AmeriCup— and defeated them twice at the 2023 South American Championship, although with different rosters.
Key matchup
The explosive inside duo of Kamilla Cardoso and Damiris Dantas going up against Agostina Burani and Diana Cabrera could go a long way to determining who advances.
The Brazilian centers are dominating the competition with their blend of size, strength, and skill— no team has been able to slow them down so far. Argentina will aim to contain them just enough to free up perimeter scorers like Florencia Chagas and Melisa Gretter.
X-Factor
It’s Cardoso’s world, and the rest of us are just living in it, as she stands out as the top performer of the tournament with the most fan votes to take home MVP. The Chicago Sky star dropped 22 points, 16 rebounds, and a pair of blocks against Mexico, picking up her seventh double-double in 19 AmeriCup games. The 24-year-old, who won MVP honors at the 2023 edition, looks unstoppable and is already breaking records in her second AmeriCup.
Stats don’t lie
The Brazilian offense is vastly superior to Argentina’s, averaging 81.6 points per game against 58.8 from their opponents. Pokey Chatman’s squad shoots better from the field, three-point range and free throws, they also have the edge on rebounds, assists, and steals. However, Argentina has held its opponents to just 60.2 points per game. The team did it in great part by slowing down the pace and taking care of the ball (its 53 turnovers are the fewest in the tournament).
Previous meetings
Brazil is up 12-3 in the AmeriCup head-to-head, with the most recent matchup being a hard-fought 56-55 victory in favor of the Verde-Amarelas in 2023 (before the Group Stage match in this tournament). The most recent Argentinian victory was a 68-49 rout in the Group Phase of the 2017 edition, played in Buenos Aires.
United States vs. Canada
The on-paper favorites handled business on Friday, defeating the Dominican Republic and Colombia, respectively. United States is now 5-0 in the tournament and seems to get better after every game, while Canada quickly bounced back from an early loss to Brazil and is peaking at the right time.
Key matchup
The point guard duels between Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo on one side and Shayeann Day-Wilson and Shay Colley on the other will be worth the price of admission. Miles racked up another seven assists against Dominican Republic to reach 40 across five games (No. 1 in the tournament at 8.0 per game) and Hidalgo had nine to rise to No. 2 (4.8 dimes per contest). Day-Wilson is now No. 3 with 4.6 a game, while Colley is inside the Top 10 at 3.0.
X-Factor
Taking care of the ball is a must for Canada if it wants to come away victorious. Although United States is averaging more turnovers per game (17.2 vs. 14.6), the Americans are an absolute menace when it comes to disrupting their opponents’ plans. USA picked up an AmeriCup record with 31 steals on Friday against Dominican Republic, obliterating the previous high mark of 24 (since 2003). That increased the average to 18.6 steals per game, more than double Canada’s 8.2.
Stats don’t lie
The United States’ offense has also been vastly superior. Through 5 games, the team averages 96.4 points per game, while Canada is at 80.2. Kara Lawson’s team is shooting 47.4 percent from the field, while Nell Fortner’s squad still sits below 40 percent after their quarterfinal games. Ball movement is a big part of it. USA averaged 27 assists across their five games, while Canada is at 18.6.
Previous meetings
The U.S. leads the AmeriCup head-to-head 7-1. These countries faced each other in the 2023 AmeriCup Semi-Finals, with the Americans winning 67-63. USA also prevailed at the 2019 AmeriCup gold medal game. The lone Canadian win was a 73-61 victory during the bronze medal game at the 1989 edition. FIBA