Santo Domingo 2026 Welcomes the Region's Volleyball Elite

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, July 20, 2026. – Volleyball will once again be among the premier sports at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games Santo Domingo 2026, as the region's premier multi-sport event runs from July 21 to August 8.

The renovated Professor Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Palace, with a seating capacity of 3,500 spectators, will host the men's tournament from July 25 to 30 and the women's competition from August 2 to 7.

The venue returns as the home of volleyball at the Games after undergoing a complete renovation for Santo Domingo 2026, providing a fitting stage for one of the region's most celebrated sports.

A total of 16 national teams—eight men's and eight women's—will compete for two coveted gold medals in one of the Games' most anticipated competitions.

The men's tournament features defending champion Cuba in Pool A alongside Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Pool B includes host Dominican Republic, Colombia, Mexico and Suriname.

Defending champion Cuba returns looking to retain the men's gold medal it captured at the San Salvador 2023 Games, where the Dominican Republic earned the silver medal and Puerto Rico claimed bronze after defeating Guatemala.

The spotlight then shifts to the women's tournament, where host and six-time defending champion Dominican Republic will headline another outstanding field in pursuit of a historic seventh consecutive Central American and Caribbean Games title.

The Dominican Republic claimed its sixth consecutive gold medal at the San Salvador 2023 Games, where Puerto Rico earned the silver medal and Cuba took bronze.

Pool A of the women's tournament consists of Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela, while Pool B features the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Las Reinas del Caribe, the Dominican Republic will look to extend its remarkable reign before its home fans by capturing a historic seventh consecutive Central American and Caribbean Games gold medal.

Volleyball has produced some of the most memorable rivalries in the history of the Central American and Caribbean Games. Cuba enters Santo Domingo 2026 as the most successful nation in the men's tournament with 11 gold medals, followed by Mexico with seven and Puerto Rico with five. On the women's side, Cuba and the Dominican Republic share the all-time record with eight titles each, while Mexico ranks third with three championships.

Santo Domingo 2026 presents two compelling historical storylines: Cuba will seek to defend its men's title and further extend its record, while Las Reinas del Caribe have the opportunity to claim a record-breaking ninth women's gold medal and become the most successful nation in the tournament's history.