Santo Domingo.- The Queens of the Caribbean make their debut this Friday at the 2026 NORCECA Women’s Continental Championship, held in Santo Domingo, with their sights set on defending their crown and starting off on the right foot on the road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The Dominican national team will face Costa Rica at 8:30 p.m. at the Prof. Ricardo Gioriber Arias Volleyball Palace, at the start of the tournament’s preliminary phase.
The Dominicans are part of Group B, along with Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Costa Rica, while Group A is made up of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The first phase will be played between this Friday and Sunday. The teams that finish in first place in each group will advance directly to the semifinals, while the teams that occupy second and third place will have to play the quarterfinals.
The championship brings together eight of the top national teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean (NORCECA), in a competition that will have significant implications for international volleyball.
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In addition to seeking the continental title, the national teams will compete for three spots in the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, intended for teams that have not yet qualified.
The tournament is also part of the road to Los Angeles 2028. The four best teams, excluding the United States as the host country of the Olympic Games, will advance to the continental qualifier to be held on August 28 and 29, where an Olympic spot will be at stake.
The Queens of the Caribbean arrive as the current continental champions and will have the support of their home crowd in Santo Domingo, seeking to begin their title defense with a victory against Costa Rica.
The championship began this Friday with the United States’ 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, with set scores of 25-6, 25-11, and 25-4.
