SANTIAGO (Chile) – With the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025 set to tip off this Saturday, it’s time to break down the outlook for each group. Group A will feature the defending champion Brazil, perennial power Canada, South American champion Argentina, and Centrobasket silver medalist Dominican Republic. El Salvador rounds out the group as the team on the rise. Only the top four teams will advance to the Quarter-Finals, while the fifth will be sent home.

In addition to continental glory, this year’s tournament will also offer a direct berth to the FIBA ​​Women's Basketball World Cup in 2026 and six spots to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Qualifying Tournaments, held in March 2026.

The reigning champions are the most successful women’s team in AmeriCup history, with six titles and 14 total medals. Despite prior doubts surrounding their WNBA availability, it’s confirmed that the top two stars, Kamilla Cardoso and Damiris Dantas, will take part in the tournament. Their presence adds stability on both ends of the court and significantly boosts the team’s chances. New head coach Pokey Chatman, from the United States, brought in young talent who stood out in youth and college categories, such as Bella Nascimento, Ayla McDowell, Catarina Ferreira, and Manu Alves. While defending the crown is the goal and a strong possibility given that, Brazil is also clearly building for the future.

The Central American squad will be playing in its second continental AmeriCup tournament ever. While they showed promise at the 2024 Centrobasket by defeating a historic team like Cuba and finishing fourth—they’ll now face opponents with greater experience and pedigree at the international level. For perspective, El Salvador lost by 20 points to the Dominican Republic in the Centrobasket Semi-Finals. Among the Group A teams, the Dominican side is the closest to El Salvador in terms of competitive level, which is based on the FIBA World Ranking.

Brazil and Canada are expected to battle for the top spot in the group, based on both teams’ current form and recent results. This means Argentina and the Dominican Republic are likely to compete for third place. This will be decided when the two face off on June 30. Securing third place is vital because it would likely mean avoiding the Group B winner which will be a tough team to beat in the Quarter-Final Round, a key strategic advantage. Argentina leads 5-1 in head-to-head matchups, but the last time the two met was during the classification game for 7th and 8th place at the 2019 AmeriCup, where the Dominicans came out on top.

Canada has what it takes to snatch the top spot from Brazil, and it wouldn’t be a major “upset” if so. The Canadian squad is always a strong contender in this tournament. However, Brazil arrives as the reigning champion, and champions should never be underestimated. Canada hasn’t missed the podium in this tournament since 2007, and the team won bronze in 2023. The North Americans may be without their WNBA stars, but they’ll rely on players with Olympic and international experience, including Kayla Alexander, Shay Colley, Yvonne Ejim, and Sami Hill— forces that helped the team reach Paris 2024. Brazil recently defeated Canada in a pre-tournament friendly at home, but the real test begins in Santiago, Chile.

FIBA