NORCECA Continental Championship 2026

kicks off this Friday in the Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, August 20, 2026 – The NORCECA Women's Continental Championship 2026 will begin this Friday, August 21, at the Prof. Ricardo Gioriber Arias Volleyball Palace.

Eight teams will compete in the tournament, where three spots in the 2027 FIVB Women's World Championship are also at stake.

The championship will also determine which teams will continue their journey toward Los Angeles 2028. The top four teams in the final standings, excluding the United States as the host country of the Olympic Games, will advance to the NORCECA Continental Qualifier, which will be held at the same venue on August 28 and 29 and will award one Olympic berth.

Coaches shared their thoughts on their teams ahead of the competition.

USA Coach Erik Sullivan: “It’s a great opportunity for us to come here and compete against such high-quality teams. Our goal is to continue improving our level of play and progressing toward the Olympic Games.”

Canada General Manager Shannon Winzer: “We’re coming off a great performance in the VNL, so we’re confident for this competition. This tournament is going to be tough because of the quality of the teams that will be competing.”

Puerto Rico Coach Juan Carlos Nuñez: “We’re coming with the expectation of achieving our direct goals, which are qualifying for the 2027 World Championship, qualifying for the 2027 Pan American Games, and the ultimate goal of reaching the Final Four to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

Cuban coach Luizomar De Moura: “Our goal is to continue improving as a team. We've been training in the country for some time now and showed a level of growth at the recently concluded Central American Games. In this tournament, of course, we're aiming for a spot in the 2027 World Championship and to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

Costa Rican coach Ciro Zoratti: “If the Central American Games were of a high level, I think this tournament will be even higher, since the United States and Canada will be there, and the teams will have two extra players. We're the youngest team in the tournament, so perhaps we won't be very competitive, but it will be a great learning experience for our developing players.” 

Mexican coach Nicola Negro: “This is a high-level tournament; it's the Continental Championship and also an Olympic qualifier, so all the teams are expected to come here and give their all. As for our team, we need to raise our level of play compared to our performance at the Central American Games to be competitive.”

Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek: “We know it’s two tournaments in one. Our first goal is to qualify for the World Championship, which means being among the top three. Obviously, we want to win the NORCECA, and our main goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games. We know it won’t be easy since all the teams are aiming for the same thing, so we have to take advantage of the home-field advantage and do our best to achieve our goals.”