Latest update September 4th, 2026 10:24 AM
Guyana finishes fourth as AmeriCup Caribbean Pre-Qualifiers conclude
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s spirited late surge was not enough to secure a place in the next stage of the FIBA AmeriCup 2029 Caribbean Pre-Qualifiers, as the hosts finished fourth overall when the five-day, 10-team tournament concluded on Sunday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Despite posting an impressive 3-1 record, Guyana fell short of qualification after a costly opening-night defeat left them with little margin for error in one of the tournament’s most competitive groups.
When the final buzzer sounded on the tournament, Barbados (4-0) and Antigua and Barbuda (3-1) emerged as the two teams advancing to the Second Round of the AmeriCup Pre-Qualifiers.
Dominic Vincente goes ‘up and under’ to score against Dominica at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
Haiti finished third (3-1), Turks and Caicos Islands (3-1) finished fifth, followed by St Vincent and the Grenadines (2-2), Dominica (1-3), the Cayman Islands (1-3), Bermuda (0-4) and Grenada (0-4).
Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados will now join Costa Rica, which booked its place in the Second Round after capturing the Central American Pre-Qualifiers title in March.
The next stage will also feature Cuba, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Venezuela, all of whom were eliminated in the First Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers. One South American representative is still to be determined.
Playing before home supporters, Guyana was drawn into a difficult Group A alongside the Turks and Caicos Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Bermuda, making every game crucial.
The Alan Walls-coached side suffered a significant setback on opening night, going down 68-55 to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The defeat proved decisive, forcing Guyana to rely on other results while attempting to keep its qualification hopes alive.
To their credit, the hosts responded in impressive fashion.
Umar Rashid goes above the rim for a block.
Guyana edged Antigua and Barbuda 75-73 in a thrilling overtime contest before overpowering Dominica 68-53 to reignite their campaign. They then completed a three-game winning streak with a hard-fought 59-56 victory over Bermuda, closing the preliminary round with a commendable 3-1 record.
However, qualification was no longer in Guyana’s hands.
The hosts needed Antigua and Barbuda to defeat the previously unbeaten Turks and Caicos Islands by more than eight points in the final Group A fixture to create a three-way tie and preserve their mathematical hopes of advancing.
Antigua delivered exactly what Guyana required, producing a dominant defensive display to defeat the Turks and Caicos Islands 58-31. While the result secured Antigua’s place in the Second Round, the points differential ultimately worked against Guyana, ending the hosts’ qualification hopes.
Elsewhere, Barbados completed a flawless campaign to underline its credentials as one of the Caribbean’s strongest teams.
The Bajans opened with an 89-54 victory over the Cayman Islands before defeating Haiti 91-68, Grenada 99-77 and St. Vincent and the Grenadines 96-84 to finish unbeaten at 4-0.
Although the AmeriCup dream has been put on hold, Guyana’s international calendar remains busy.
Attention now shifts to Scotland, where the men’s national 3×3 team will make history with Guyana’s debut in the Commonwealth Games men’s 3×3 competition against some of the world’s elite nations.
The focus will then turn to the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, where both the men’s and women’s 3×3 teams will be looking to build on their recent international experience and continue the country’s progress on the regional stage.
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