Cuba is moving on to the semifinals of the 2026 NORCECA Men’s Continental Championship after a straight-sets victory over Puerto Rico on Monday at Moncton’s Avenir Centre.
The Cubans defeated their Caribbean rivals 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-14) in the quarterfinals, securing a place in the tournament’s final four.
Puerto Rico kept things close through the first two sets, but Cuba’s advantage at the net and from the service line proved to be the difference. Cuba held edges in attacks (40-37), blocks (8-6), and aces (6-2), while also benefiting from a higher number of Puerto Rican errors.
Alejandro González Rodríguez led Cuba offensively with 15 points, including 12 kills, two blocks, and an ace. For Puerto Rico, Jair Santiago Sánchez paced the attack with 11 points.
The tournament features eight teams competing for three spots at the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup in Poland. The championship also plays a key role in Olympic qualification, helping determine which teams advance to NORCECA’s final qualifying stage later this week. The United States has already secured its place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as host nation.
Following the win, Cuban head coach Jesús Cruz López praised his team’s performance against a confident Puerto Rican squad.
“It was a difficult game. Puerto Rico was a medal winner at the Central American Games and they came here with a lot of confidence against us. But we took the victory, which is the most important factor as we are now in the top four and have the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup and Olympics.”
With the quarterfinal victory now in the books, Cuba’s next challenge comes tonight against host Canada, with a spot in the championship final on the line.
For volleyball fans in Moncton, it’s another big night at the Avenir Centre as Team Canada looks to punch its ticket to the gold-medal match on home court.
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