Costa Rica Reaches Historic First Men’s U23 Pan American Cup Final

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, September 26, 2026.- Costa Rica defeated Guatemala 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-12) to advance to the Men’s U23 Pan American Cup final for the first time in its history.

Costa Rica will play for its first gold medal in the tournament, while Guatemala will compete for the bronze medal for the second time, having won bronze in 2018.

On Sunday, September 27, Guatemala will face Mexico for the bronze medal at 2:00 p.m., while Costa Rica will take on the United States in the gold medal match at 4:00 p.m. The fifth-place match between El Salvador and the Dominican Republic will be played at 12:00 p.m.

Costa Rica took control from the start with a strong blocking performance that allowed them to build a comfortable lead and take the first set. In the second, the Costa Ricans kept up the pressure, and although Guatemala was able to avoid the block more effectively, Costa Rica held a five-point advantage midway through the set to move within one set of the final.

Costa Rica maintained its dominance in the third set, preventing Guatemala from finding a way to change the course of the match.

Costa Rica held a commanding advantage in the team statistics, leading 42-23 in attacks, 13-4 in blocks and 5-0 in serves. Both teams committed 15 unforced errors.

Jeremy Antonio Vanega, Jhostin Varela and Stanley Grant led Costa Rica with 12 points each. Vanega also recorded a match-high six blocks. Jerry Durán was Guatemala’s leading scorer with 9 points.

Osvaldo Chacón, Costa Rica libero: “We are very happy and grateful. It has been a great experience, and this group is like a family. We are happy to reach a final for the first time. We’re going to enjoy it for a little while and then focus on tomorrow’s match.”