MIAMI (United States) – Chile was one of the early protagonists in international basketball. From the 1930s through the 1960s, they earned medals at the South American level and took part in Olympic Games and World Championships—where it even reached the podium—and hosted the inaugural Women’s Basketball World Cup in 1953. After those golden years, the southern nation struggled to achieve similar results. However, since around 2010, the Chilean Basketball Federation (FebaChile) has been working to regain some of the lost ground. FebaChile has focused on youth development for both men’s and women’s basketball, earning titles at South American Championships and making recent appearances in the U16 and U18 AmeriCups. It has also strengthened its national leagues for both men and women, helping to create a stronger base of players and turning Chile into a competitive team in the region. Recently, we saw the senior men’s team come within one win of qualifying for the AmeriCup, with victories in the qualifiers over teams like Argentina and Venezuela. On the women’s side, at last year’s South American Championship held at home, Chile finished fifth after defeating Bolivia and Uruguay in the Group Phase and then overcoming Ecuador and Paraguay in the classification round.
In line with its development plan and with the goal of continuing to promote basketball, Chile will host the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025, and the tournament will be held from June 28 to July 6 at the Centro de Deportes Colectivos in Santiago. There, the women’s national team will face a major challenge, competing against the top teams in the continent, hoping the experience helps them gain valuable exposure and improve their level of play.
“Our goal is to fight for the highest position we can reach. We know the level of the teams we’ll be facing in the tournament, so we’ve been preparing thoroughly. We hope to have the support of all the people,” said shooting guard Bárbara Cousiño, one of the team’s leaders.
Out of the 10 teams participating in the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2025, Chile has the lowest ranking, currently sitting at No. 70 in the FIBA Women’s World Ranking, presented by Nike, and No. 14 in the Americas. “We are well aware of our current situation going into the tournament. Right now we’re in a rebuilding phase and bringing a young team, but we’re leaning on the work we’ve been putting in,” added Argentine Cristian Santander, head coach of the Chilean women’s national team.
Santander, now in his second stint as head coach (he previously led the team from 2007 to 2012), shared that since January they’ve been holding monthly training camps with players based in Chile. They’re also expecting the arrival of players competing overseas, including those in the NCAA. “Several of our players have been gaining experience that’s contributed to their development. Now we’re returning to compete in an AmeriCup for the first time in 10 years, and the girls understand the commitment,” said the coach, who noted that the core of the roster will be the same as the one that played in the 2024 South American Championship, with players like Cousiño, Fernanda Ovalle, Catalina Pérez, Constanza Cárdenas, Sendy Basáez, and Vania Vega, among others. For her part, Cousiño said the players and coaching staff share full confidence and are hopeful for a solid performance. “We’ve been working with Coach Cristian for several years within Chilean basketball. Now, with the national team, we come from the South American process. We believe we’ve seen positive growth. We have a very young team, but we’re full of hope, knowing we hadn’t competed in a tournament like this for many years.” Playing at home is a big motivation for the Chilean squad. They had that experience in 2024 during the South American Championship, and this time they are eager to make a good impression in front of their fans. The challenge, however, will be even greater, as in addition to Argentina and reigning champion Brazil, powerhouses like the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico will also be in the tournament. Beyond the results, Cousiño said the team is determined to prove they can compete head-to-head with these high-level opponents.
“We’ve already experienced what it’s like to play in front of our fans. It’s always a beautiful feeling because our families and loved ones are there to support us. But our main focus is on being competitive—that’s the message we receive constantly from the coaching staff. In every game, we have to be fierce, we have to fight until the last second. That’s what we’ve been working on this whole time. I think this tournament will allow us to measure the true state of Chilean women’s basketball,” said the 28-year-old guard, who averaged 8.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists at the last South American Championship. FIBA